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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights UnitedHealth Group, Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, The Coca-Cola Company and NVIDIA

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 28, 2022 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH - Free Report) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) , Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) , The Coca-Cola Company (KO - Free Report) and NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Analyst Reports for UnitedHeath, J&J and Walmart

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 UnitedHealth Group Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Walmart Inc.. 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 >>>

UnitedHealth's shares have gained +19.3% over the past year against the Zacks Medical - HMOs industry's gain of +19.1%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company's top line has been growing and the momentum should continue in the years ahead on the back of a strong market position, new deals, renewed agreements and expansion of service offerings.

UNH's solid health services segment provides diversification benefits. Its Government business remains well-poised for growth. A sturdy balance sheet enables investments. However, softness in commercial business due to COVID-induced volatilities persists. Rising operating costs are hurting margins. 

(You can read the full research report on UnitedHealth here >>>

Shares of Johnson & Johnson have underperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (+5.8% vs. +9.7%). The Zacks analyst believes that macroeconomic headwinds like inflationary pressure, rising input costs and negative currency impact are hurting the company's margins. Headwinds like generic competition and pricing pressure continue. Stelara's upcoming loss of exclusivity in 2023 is a concern. Though J&J has taken meaningful steps to resolve its talc and opioid litigation, they continue to remain an overhang on the stock.  

However, the company's Pharma unit is performing at above-market levels, supported by blockbuster drugs, Darzalex and Stelara, and contributions from newer drugs, Erleada and Tremfya. Sales in the MedTech unit are recovering and J&J is focusing on growing this business through new products. J&J is making rapid progress with its pipeline and line extensions. 

(You can read the full research report on Johnson & Johnson here >>>

Shares of Walmart have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Supermarkets industry over the past three months (+8.8% vs. +8.0%). The Zacks analyst believes that the company has been benefiting from its robust omnichannel operations due to its efforts to enhance both store and online experience. Walmart has been particularly gaining from its efforts to boost delivery services through acquisitions and partnerships. 

However, its consolidated operating income and earnings per share view suggest a decline from the year-ago period figures. The company is encountering cost pressure associated with fuel prices, supply chain and excess inventory.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include The Coca-Cola Company and NVIDIA Corp.. 

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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