Monday, November 8, 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 Mastercard Incorporated (MA), Linde plc (LIN), and Lam Research Corporation (LRCX). 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 Mastercard have outperformed the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry over the past year (+1.7% vs. -16.2%). The Zacks analyst believes that strategic acquisitions, alliances and technology upgrades, along with product-diversification and geographic-expansion initiatives bode well for the long term.

The ongoing pandemic has accelerated the use of electronic forms of payment with much greater adoption of digital and contactless solutions. This provides an opportunity for the company’s business to expedite its shift to the digital mode. Higher expenses as well as high rebates and incentives have been stressing the company's margins though.

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

Linde shares have gained 11% in the past six months against the Zacks Oil and Gas - Field Services industry’s gain of +6.8%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company has been gaining on the back of recovering industrial gas demand. Linde recently reported strong third-quarter results, thanks to project start-ups that led to higher volumes and prices.

Its primary products in industrial gases include oxygen, which is being used for life support in hospitals. The company’s process gas like hydrogen is being utilized for clean fuels, while its high-purity and specialty gases are being used in manufacturing electronics. Since the third quarter last year, however, there has been a steady decline in contractual sale of gas product backlog.

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

Shares of Lam Research have gained +30.2% in the year to date period against the Zacks Semiconductor Equipment - Wafer Fabrication industry’s gain of +65.4%. The company, however, has been gaining from solid execution across systems and the customer support business.

The Zacks analyst believes that Lam’s exposure to the memory segment is a major positive as the space is likely to see tremendous growth over the next few years. The company witnessed strong momentum across 3D NAND manufacturers for critical applications in the fiscal first-quarter. The cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, a high fixed cost structure, weakness in DRAM spending because of the prevalent decline in PCs are some of the major concerns for the company though.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include ConocoPhillips (COP), Marvell Technology, Inc. (MRVL) and IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (IDXX).

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>>>