Friday, October 16, 2020

The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Novartis (NVS), Zoom Video Communications (ZM) and Fidelity National Information Services (FIS). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>

Novartis shares have underperformed the Zacks Large-Cap Pharmaceuticals in the year to date period (-9.9% vs. -2.3%). The Zacks analyst believes that solid performance of key drugs like Cosentyx and Entresto, and contributions from Kisqali and gene therapy, Zolgensma, have also boosted the company’s performance in the recent past.

These drugs and new launches like Piqray, Mayzent and Beovu should further boost sales amid a slowdown due to the ongoing pandemic. The biosimilar portfolio also gains traction with new key approvals and is expected to drive growth. Novartis’ efforts to develop and diversify its pipeline are also impressive.

However, price erosion in the United States has adversely impacted the generics business. Moreover, pipeline setbacks and generic competition for key drugs are concerning. Shares have underperformed the industry in the past year. The company has tightened its outlook for 2020 due to the pandemic woes.

(You can read the full research report on Novartis here >>>)

Shares of Zoom Video have gained +734.8% over the past year against the Zacks Internet Software industry’s rise of 93.8%. The Zacks analyst believes that demand for the company’s cloud-native video-first platform is expected to remain solid owing to the work-from-home and online-learning wave.

Easy to deploy, use, manage and scalability makes Zoom Video’s software popular among its customers. Expanding clientele is expected to drive top-line growth momentum in the near term. Moreover, the company’s expanding international presence is a key catalyst.

Its efforts to eliminate the security and privacy loopholes, as well as new hardware and Zoom From Home solution’s launch, are expected to help in expanding clientele. The company’s strong free cash-flow generating ability is noteworthy. However, acute competition from the likes of Microsoft and Cisco in the video-communication space does not bode well.

(You can read the full research report on Zoom Video here >>>)

FIS shares have gained +14% over the past six months against the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry’s rise of +19.1%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company remains well-poised for growth, backed by attractive core business with several ongoing initiatives and a broad customer base.

The acquisition of Worldpay will accelerate growth by expanding presence in fast-growing markets. Further, increasing investment in mobile banking and innovative products is likely to support Fidelity's growth.

Also, earnings estimates have been going down lately ahead of third-quarter results. The company remains exposed to rising costs on account of investment in technology, and consolidation in the banking sector. It faces credit risk in case of any economic downturn.

(You can read the full research report on FIS here >>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Amgen (AMGN), 3M Company (MMM) and TOTAL SE (TOT).

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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>>>