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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apple, Alibaba Group, AT&T, Intuitive Surgical and Zoetis

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – March 31, 2021 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) , Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA - Free Report) , AT&T Inc. (T - Free Report) , Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG - Free Report) and Zoetis Inc. (ZTS - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Stock Reports for Apple, Alibaba and AT&T

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 Apple, Alibaba Group and AT&T. 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 >>>

Apple shares have underperformed the Zacks Computer - Mini computers industry over the past year (+90.9% vs. +91.8%). Nonetheless, the Zacks analyst believes that Apple is benefiting from continued momentum in the Services segment, driven by a robust performance of App Store, Apple Music, video and cloud services.

Moreover, demand remains healthy for other Apple devices including iPad, Mac and Wearables. Although Apple didn't provide any guidance due to uncertainties triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, it expects the top-line to grow in the second quarter of fiscal 2021.

Apple's near-term prospects are bright, driven by new iPhones that support 5G, revamped iPad and Mac line-up of devices, health-focused Apple Watch 6 and robust growth in the Services business. However, increasing scrutiny and legal woes over the App Store are headwinds.

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

Alibaba shares have underperformed the Zacks Internet - Commerce industry over the past year (+19.2% vs. +42.6%). The Zacks analyst believes that Alibaba's regulatory concerns and higher costs associated with new initiatives remain major problems. Also, uncertain economy and macro headwinds in China remain concerns. In addition, rising competition from e-commerce players poses a risk.

Nevertheless, Alibaba Group's reported strong fiscal third-quarter 2021 results driven by a steady improvement in core commerce and strong cloud business. The company continues to benefit from strong growth in metrics. Further, Alibaba's strengthening cloud business with its expanding customer base continues to drive its performance. The New Retail strategy is also gaining significant momentum in the market.

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

Shares of AT&T have increased +6.3% in the year-to-date period against the Zacks Wireless National industry's gain of +0.2%. The Zacks analyst believes that AT&T is well poised to gain from a solid subscriber growth on the back of a resilient customer-centric business model, driven by diligent execution of operational plans. The company expects to continue investing in key areas while adjusting its business according to the evolving market scenario to fuel long-term growth with healthy dividend payment.

It is likely to benefit from the streaming services of HBO Max, integrated fiber expansion and nationwide 5G deployment. AT&T has unveiled its 5G strategy and reaffirmed its guidance for 2021. However, the company is facing a steady decline in linear TV subscribers, legacy services and wireline division. Additionally, spectrum crisis in a saturated wireless market and continued cord-cutting remains a major headwind.

(You can read the full research report on AT&T here >>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Intuitive Surgical and Zoetis.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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