Thursday, October 6, 2016

Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Costco (COST), ExxonMobil (XOM) and Bristol-Myers (BMY).

Costco shares have been laggards lately as earnings performance has been weighed down by stiff competition and cautious consumer spending trends. However, the analyst emphasizes that Costco continues to be one of the dominant retail wholesalers based on its breadth and quality of merchandise offered. Also, the company’s diversification strategy acts as a natural hedge against risks that may arise in specific markets.  (You can read the full research report on Pepsi here>>)

ExxonMobil shares have outperformed the broader market this year on the back oil's positive momentum, though the stock has lagged oil-ier super majors like Chevron and the major E&P's. This reflects the oil giant's balanced business mix that make it a relatively defensive oil play; the stock doesn't rise as much as its peers in a rising oil price environment, but it doesn't fall by that much when the commodity is heading south either. With a stable cash position, Exxon Mobil’s balance sheet is one of the best in the industry. Exxon's safe and stable dividend (currently yielding an attractive 3.5%) is another key positive. (You can read the full research report on ExxonMobil here>>)

Bristol-Myers shares have been depressed for some time now and are down 20% year-to-date. The company raised its guidance for 2016 earnings once again, buoyed by strong trends across the business, primarily Opdivo and Eliquis. The analyst likes Bristol-Myers’ efforts to develop its pipeline. It has been working on strengthening its product portfolio as well as its pipeline through acquisitions and deals. Also, Bristol-Myers is working on expanding the label of approved drugs including Opdivo, Orencia and Yervoy. (You can read the full research report on Bristol-Myers here>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Shire (SHPG), Baxter (BAX) and Darden (DRI).

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You can find all of today's stock research reports here>>

Sheraz Mian

Director of Research

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