Tuesday, September 21, 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 Facebook, Inc. (FB), Walmart Inc. (WMT), and Novartis AG (NVS). 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 Facebook have outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year (+39.6% vs. +35.1%) on the back of increasing mobile ad revenues, growing adoption of Stories by advertisers across Instagram, core Facebook app and Messenger, and initiatives to improve security.

Advertising revenues have benefited too from the ongoing shift to e-commerce. Facebook’s strong balance sheet is another major catalyst for growth. The company is, however, facing stiff competition in the advertising space from Snap and Twitter. Increasing regulatory headwinds in the EU remains a major cause of concern.

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

Walmart shares have gained +9.3% in the last six months against the Zacks Supermarkets industry’s gain of +8.6%. The Zacks analyst acknowledges that Walmart has been gaining from its sturdy comp sales record, driven by its constant omnichannel efforts. 

Its second quarter earnings and sales rose year over year on the back of improving store experience. The company has been posting positive comp sales in the U.S. division for 28 quarters now. Walmart, however, witnessed a slowdown in its e-commerce growth rate in the quarter. Supply-chain hurdles and wage-cost inflation have been weighing on the revenues too.

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

Shares of Novartis have lost -10.4% in the past three months against the Zacks Large-Cap Pharmaceuticals industry’s gain of +1.5%, however, momentum in its key brands should continue to boost its performance. The Zacks analyst is encouraged by its strong oncology portfolio and efforts to develop its immuno-oncology pipeline.

Key drugs such as Kisqali and Lucentis continue to boost its top line. The launch of drugs like Piqray and Mayzent have not only boosted sales but also made up for the decline in sales of legacy drugs. A competitive landscape and pandemic-related woes remain as major headwinds for the company though.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL), American Express Company (AXP) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD).

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>>>