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Research Daily

Monday, August 22, 2016

Today's Research Daily write-up features fresh analyst reports on 16 major companies, including Pfizer (PFE), Cisco (CSCO) and Visa (V). These 16 reports have been handpicked from the roughly 80 research reports issued by the Zacks analysts team today. You can see the complete list of today's research reports here >>>

Pfizer is dominating the headlines today, with its $14 billion purchase of cancer drug maker Medivation (MDVN) that is expecetd to be accretive to the drug giant's earnings in the first year. Synergies aside, this deal in totally inline with Pfizer's efforts to strengthen its product portfolio as well as its pipeline through acquisitions and licensing deals. Meanwhile, new products like Ibrance should drive revenues while cost-savings and share buybacks should help the drugmaker achieve its earnings guidance. (You can read the full research report on Pfizer here>>)

Cisco shares performed strongly this year, up 12% year-to-date, with market participants getting comfortable with the networking giant's growth plans. The company’s quarterly report was mixed - it beat June quarter estimates, but the outlook was on the weak side. In today's research report, the Zacks analyst discusses the pros & cons of investing in Cisco shares at present. The analyst refers to Cisco's cloud computing challenge, but likes the company’s market position, innovative prowess, product range and growth initiatives.The recent acquisition of CloudLock will help Cisco to broaden its efforts and meet changing compliance and security needs. (You can read the full research report on Cisco here>>)

Visa shares have lagged the broader market lately, as have rival MasterCard's, on concerns about the network's long-term growth outlook in the face of growing competition from new payment platforms. These issues notwithstanding, the analyst likes the company’s acquisition of Visa Europe, since it is likely to open vast business opportunities in the region and provide it with greater scale and diversification. Its other strategic acquisitions and alliances, technology upgrades and effective marketing efforts bode well for long-term growth. (You can read the full research report on Visa here>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include McDonald's (MCD), Raytheon (RTN) and Vertex (VRTX).

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

Sheraz Mian

Director of Research

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