Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Top Research Reports for March 10, 2017

Read MoreHide Full Article

Friday, March 10, 2017

Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including 3M (MMM - Free Report) , FedEx (FDX - Free Report) and Netflix (NFLX - Free Report) .

3M shares have gained +6.7% over the last six months, outperforming the  Zacks Diversified Operations industry, which has gained +5.2% over the same period. The Zacks analyst likes 3M's global footprint, diversified product portfolio and ability to penetrate different markets. During 2016–2020, 3M expects 8–11% growth in earnings per share driven by an organic sales growth of 2–5%. 3M is standardizing its business processes through a new, global ERP system and expects $500 to $700 million in annual operational savings by 2020. However, the company is facing increased pension expenses as its workforce begins to retire. In addition, the company is susceptible to high commodity price risks. Earnings estimate for the current year has also decreased in the past three months, signifying somewhat negative investor sentiment. (You can read the full research report on 3M here.)

Shares of FedEx lost ground following the weaker than expected quarterly results, but they have been strong performers in the post-election period (up +15.4% vs. +2.6% for the Zacks Air Freight industry & +7.5% for the S&P 500 index). The Zacks analyst likes. FedEx's decision to reward shareholders through dividend payments and share buybacks. Despite such positives, the company is likely to struggle in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 due to higher costs of package deliveries in the recent holiday season and the shift in the product mix. The pessimism regarding the stock ahead of its fiscal third-quarter earnings release can be gauged by the 3.3% decrease in the Zacks Consensus Estimate over the last two months. (You can read the full research report on FedEx here.)

Netflix’s shares outperformed the Zacks categorized Broadcast Radio/TV sector over last one year, jumping +43.9% versus the sector’s gain of +16.9%. The Zacks analyst likes its focus on global expansion and original content. The streaming giant has experienced 7.05 million net new additions in the last reported quarter, taking the total count to 19 million for 2016. Moreover, for the first time, Netflix expects International segment to post profits in the current quarter to the tune of $16 million. Netflix remains committed to make 50% its total content original over the next few years. It estimates content spending in 2017 to be around $6 billion. However, investments in original/acquired content remain a drag on profitability. (You can read the full research report on Netflix here.)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Edison International (EIX - Free Report) , Autodesk (ADSK - Free Report) and Domino’s (DPZ - Free Report) .

More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run 
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs.

A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >>

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 >>>

Published in