Monday, December 13, 2021
 

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 Oracle (ORCL), Coca-Cola (KO) and McDonald's (MCD). 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 >>>
 

Shares of Oracle have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry over the past year (+68.9% vs. +48.2%). The Zacks analyst believes that Oracle’s performance is benefitting from the ongoing momentum across its cloud business, driven by strong uptake of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services and Autonomous Database offerings.
 

Healthy adoption of cloud-based applications, comprising NetSuite Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Fusion ERP and Fusion Human Capital Management (HCM) bodes well for the long haul. Solid demand for the Oracle Dedicated Region Cloud@Customer is also anticipated to drive the top line. Oracle’s share buybacks and dividend policy is noteworthy.
 

However, higher spending on product enhancements, especially toward cloud platform, amid increasing competition in the cloud domain from established players like Amazon and Microsoft, is likely to limit margin expansion in the near term.
 

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

Coca-Cola shares have gained +5.7% over the past year against the Zacks Beverages - Soft drinks industry’s gain of +4.9%. Coca-Cola also boasts a robust earnings surprise trend that continued in third-quarter 2021. This marked the eighth straight quarter of earnings beat and third consecutive sales beat.
 

The Zacks analyst believes that the company is benefiting from its strategic transformation and ongoing recovery around the world. Revenues gained from revival across markets, where the pandemic-led disruptions are subsiding. The company is poised to gain from accelerating investments to build strong digital capabilities.
 

However, shares of Coca-Cola lagged the industry year to date as it continues to witness pressures from higher supply chain costs, including transportation and commodity costs. Higher marketing spends also remain concerning.
 

(You can read the full research report on Coca-Cola here >>>)
 

Shares of McDonald's have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry over the past six months period (+11.8% vs. +2.0%). The Zacks analyst believes that robust drive-thru presence, and its investments in delivery and digitization over the past few years, have aided the company in countering the pandemic. Robust digitalization will help the company drive long-term growth and capture market share.
 

McDonald’s launched its first-ever loyalty program in the United States. It has been making every effort to drive growth in international markets. However, coronavirus related woes persist. Comps in China were negatively impacted by the pandemic.
 

(You can read the full research report on McDonald’s here >>>)
 

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Broadcom (AVGO), Cigna (CI) and Zebra Technologies (ZBRA).
 

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>>>