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Research Daily

Sheraz Mian

Top Analyst Reports for Gilead Sciences, Las Vegas Sands & Illinois Tool Works

LMT ITW PFE GILD LVS SE

Trades from $3

Thursday, January 19 2017

Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Gilead Sciences (GILD), Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW).

Also featured today is our updated Earnings Trends report - Bank Earnings & the Trump Effect

Gilead shares have been laggards lately, on persistent fears about drug pricing and other regulatory issues that haven't eased up even after the November election. The stock has lost -20.3% of its value over the last one year vs. the -12.9% decline for the Zacks Biotech industry in that same time period. Gilead's HCV franchise continues to witness slowdown in the U.S. and Europe due to lower sales of Harvoni. These challenges notwithstanding, but the analyst also points towards the company's robust late-stage pipeline. The company's HIV franchise has been performing well, thanks to the newly launched TAF-based products Genvoya, Descovy and Odefsey. (You can read the full research report on Gilead here >>)

Las Vegas Sands shares have gained +50.6% over the last one year, higher than the gaming industry’s increase of 44.8%. The analyst likes the high occupancy rates in its Las Vegas properties, which should continue driving growth. Moreover, focus on diversification and growth in the mass and non-gaming markets should aid margins. However, Las Vegas Sands has been mostly reporting lower revenues over the past few quarters due to a sluggish performance in Macao, a key operating region for the company. The anti-graft corruption drive undertaken by the Chinese government had been keeping VIP gamblers at bay, thereby hurting revenues. Nonetheless, the company’s consistent efforts to boost tourism and traffic are yielding results. (You can read the full research report on Las Vegas Sands here >>)

Buy rated Illinois Tool Works shares have outperformed the Zacks Industrial Machinery industry over the last one year, gaining +52% over the period versus the sector’s +40.1% gain. The analyst likes the company's organic and inorganic growth tactics, its long-term Enterprise Strategy and sound capital allocation schemes. For 2016, the company increased its earnings guidance to $5.56-$5.66 per share from the previous expectation of $5.50-$5.70 and anticipates 9% year-over-year growth in earnings per share. Additionally, over the last 60 days, earnings estimates for the stock have increased for 2017. (You can read the full research report on Illinois Tool Works here >>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Spectra Energy (SE), Pfizer (PFE) and Lockheed Martin (LMT).

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Sheraz Mian

Director of Research

Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here >>>

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