Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Today's Research Daily write-up features analyst reports on 16 prominent stocks, including Home Depot (HD), Medtronic (MDT) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD).

Home Depot shares have lagged the broader market this year, primarily reflecting the lack of any near-term catalysts as well as seasonality factors. The home improvement retailer reports next week, but read throughs from some its peers has not been particularly encouraging. In the updated research report issued today, the analyst discusses the pros & cons of investing in this stock at present. While the analyst likes the company's efforts to build its interconnected capabilities, it has contend with intense competition from specialty and mass retailers and an uneven economic recovery. (You can read the full research report on HD here.)

Buy-rated Medtronic is up more than 14% year-to-date, but the momentum should continue over the coming days given recent product approvals and improved outlook as a result of deals. The company's Restorative Therapies business received a big boost from the CE Mark approval for its latest deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy product, SureTune2. The analyst likes Medtronic’s $1.1 billion agreement to buy Heartware International, which is expected to significantly boost its Cardiac Rhythm & Heart Failure business. Additionally, the Covidien integration synergy continues to meaningfully accelerate all of the company’s fundamental growth strategies. (You can read the full research report on MDT here.)

Pioneer Natural Resources has been an outstanding performer this year on the back of the E&P player's largely hedged production stream, an oil-weighted reserves base and large drilling inventory, with significant resource potential. This Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy) stock has a strong balance sheet and plenty of financial flexibility to withstand any unfavorable moves in the commodity. (You can read the full research report on PXD here.)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include American Airlines (AAL), Spectra Energy (SE) and Canadian National (CNI).

You can find all of today's stock research reports here>>

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Sheraz Mian

Director of Research

Note: Sheraz Mian regularly provides earnings analysis on Zacks.com and appears frequently in the print and electronic media. His weekly earnings related articles include Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview. He also provides weekly commentary to Zacks Premium subscribers and manages the Zacks Focus List and Top 10 portfolios.

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