Tuesday, October 15, 2019

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 Intel (INTC), Oracle (ORCL) and Novo Nordisk (NVO). 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 >>>

Intel’s shares have outperformed the Zacks General Semiconductor industry year to date (3.1% vs. -6.4%). The Zacks analyst believes that Intel is benefiting from rising demand witnessed in its higher performance products, both in data center and client domains.

Moreover, synergies from its Mobileye acquisition and growing clout in ADAS market favor the company’s growth prospects. Further, Intel’s strategy of expanding TAM beyond CPU to adjacent product lines like silicon photonics, fabric, network ASICs, and 3D XPoint memory is yielding results.

The launch of its new 10nm-technology-based AI chip, Springhill, holds promise. However, weakness in demand from China and softness in NAND flash pricing trends, expenses pertaining to 10-nanometer (nm) ramp and constrained supply remain major concerns. Moreover, intensifying competition and pricing pressure from AMD remains a headwind.

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

Shares of Oracle have gained 3.4% in the past six months, compared with the Zacks Computer Software industry’s rise of 8.2%. The Zacks analyst believes that Oracle is benefiting from strong adoption of cloud-based solutions, comprising NetSuite ERP, Fusion ERP and Fusion HCM, among others.

Partnerships with the likes of Accenture and Microsoft are expected to aid Oracle in expanding cloud-based clientele. Moreover, strong demand for the latest autonomous database supported by ML is likely to bolster the top line and provide a competitive edge against Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the Database-as-a-Service market.

Nonetheless, stiff competition in the cloud market from dominant players is anticipated to weigh on profits. Further, lower hardware volumes are expected to hurt the top line, keeping margins under pressure. Additionally, integration risks from buyouts remain a concern. Notably, shares of Oracle have underperformed the industry in the past year.

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

Novo Nordisk’s shares have gained 9% over the past three months, compared with the Zacks Biotech industry’s rise of 0.4%. The Zacks analyst believes a solid performance from Tresiba, Victoza, Ozempic, Xultophy and Saxenda have driven the company’s sales in the year so far.

Label expansion of Victoza continues to boost performance. Ozempic, the company’s once-weekly GLP-1, continues to gain market share. The FDA recently approved semaglutide in tablet form under the brand name, Rybelsus. The company continues to evaluate the candidate for multiple indications. Shares of the company have outperformed the industry year to date.

However, lower realized prices in the United States, loss of exclusivity for products in hormone replacement therapy and intensifying competition within the diabetes and biopharmaceuticals markets will adversely impact sales, going ahead.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include ConocoPhillips (COP), Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

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Mark Vickery
Senior Editor

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>>>