Friday, June 11, 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 Microsoft (MSFT), Nike (NKE), and Novo Nordisk (NVO). These reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 published by our analyst team today.

You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>

Shares of Microsoft have outperformed the S&P 500 in the year-to-date period (+16.2% vs. +14.3%). The Zacks analyst believes that Microsoft is benefiting from the adoption of Azure services amid accelerated global digital transformation. Moreover, solid uptake of new Xbox consoles is aiding top-line expansion.

The company is also witnessing growth in the user base of its different applications, including Microsoft 365 suite and Dynamics. However, Microsoft expects Surface as well as Xbox Content and services revenue to decline in the fiscal fourth quarter, owing to tough year-over-year comparisons.

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

Nike’s shares have lost -3.6% over the last six months against the Zacks Shoes and Retail Apparel industry’s loss of -0.8%. But the Zacks analyst believes that Nike has been witnessing strong digital trends, which demonstrates strength in its brands and investments made over the past several years to improve the digital consumer experience.

Nike’s top and bottom lines improved year over year in third-quarter fiscal 2021, while earnings beat estimates for the third time in the fiscal year. Digital sales for the Nike brand improved double digits across North America, Greater China, and APLA along with triple-digit growth in EMEA.

However, the company has been witnessing lower revenues in its wholesale business and Nike-owned stores due to the pandemic-led disruptions. In fact, revenues declined across all the regions, except for Greater China.

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

Shares of Novo Nordisk have gained 19.6% in the past three months against the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry’s gain of 11.9%. The Zacks analyst believes Victoza, Ozempic, Xultophy and Saxenda have been helping the company maintain momentum. Label expansion of existing drugs is likely to further boost sales.

In 2021, the company will continue to focus on commercial execution while conducting more late-stage clinical studies than ever to meet the needs of the people living with diabetes and other serious chronic diseases. However, lower realized prices in the United States, loss of exclusivity for products in hormone replacement therapy and intensifying competition are likely to impact sales.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Caterpillar (CAT), General Electric (GE) and Fiserv (FISV).

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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>>>