Monday, March 19, 2018

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 (AAPL), Adobe (ADBE) and Canadian National (CNI). 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’s shares are up +25.8% in the last year, outperforming the S&P 500 (up +16.2%) and the Zacks Technology sector (up +23.6%). The company is benefiting from iPhone X’s higher average selling price (ASP). The Services segment has become the new cash cow of the company.

Going forward, the Zacks analyst thinks Apple’s foray into fast-growing technologies like autonomous vehicle, artificial intelligence (AI) & AR/VR will drive growth. Moreover, Apple’s new investment plan will boost its subscription-based services business and put an end to the criticism it is facing for not creating enough jobs in the United States.

Apple is reportedly developing its own next-generation MicroLED screens, which will reduce its dependency on Asia-based display screen providers. Additionally, impressive cash balance, post-tax reforms, is expected to boost shareholder value. However, the sluggish demand for iPhone X remains a concern amid intensifying competition.

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

Shares of Buy-rated Adobe have gained +78.6% in the last one year, outperforming the Zacks Software industry which has increased +36.1% over the same period. Adobe reported strong fiscal first-quarter results driven by demand for the company’s innovative solutions and growing subscriptions for its cloud application.

Adobe has been making great strides toward establishing its presence in cloud-related software areas such as documents and marketing. Adobe Experience Manager, which enables brands to offer a personalized experience, is also witnessing robust growth.

The Zacks analyst remains optimistic about Adobe’s market position, compelling product lines, continued innovation, solid adoption of Creative Cloud and Adobe marketing cloud. However, end-market recovery appears slow, which remains a matter of concern.

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

Canadian National’s shares have gained +2.2% over the last one year, underperforming the Zacks Rail industry which gained +19.4% over the same period. The company has also underperformed Canadian Pacific Railway’s shares that have gained 21.5% in the same time period. In fact, the company has been facing a number of challenges related to network congestion recently, which have hurt its operational performance.

These operational issues might affect its customer base, thus adversely impacting company’s growth prospects. The company announced a change at the helm in order to primarily address the service issues. Deterioration in operating ratio due to high labor and fuel costs also does not bode well for the stock.

Moreover, Canadian National’s high debt levels remain potent threats. However, overall volume growth backed by impressive performances at some of its key units is encouraging. The Zacks analyst is also impressed by the 10% dividend hike announced by the company in January 2018.

(You can read the full research report on Canadian National here >>>).

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Roche (RHHBY), Kellogg (K) and Delta Air Lines (DAL).

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.

Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.

Click here for the 6 trades >>

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>>>