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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Costco Wholesale, Pfizer, IBM, NextEra Energy and HCA Healthcare
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 30, 2023 – 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: Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST - Free Report) , Pfizer Inc. (PFE - Free Report) , IBM Corp. (IBM - Free Report) , NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE - Free Report) and HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Top Research Reports for Costco, Pfizer and IBM
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 Costco Wholesale Corp., Pfizer Inc. and IBM Corp. These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.
Costco's shares have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry over the year-to-date period (+20.6% vs. -0.6%). The company being a consumer defensive stock has survived market turmoil pretty well. The discount retailer's key strengths are strategic investments, a customer-centric approach, merchandise initiatives, and an emphasis on membership growth.
These factors have been helping it register decent sales and earnings numbers. This outlook reflects Costco's ability to navigate the challenging operating environment, generate solid sales, and register high membership renewal rates.
A favorable product mix, steady store traffic, pricing power and strong liquidity position should help Costco keep outperforming. While trading at a premium to its peers, its long-term growth prospects should help the stock see a solid upside.
Shares of Pfizer have underperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (-31.6% vs. +15.8%). The company's top line is declining in 2023 due to steep declines in revenues from its COVID-19 products, Comirnaty vaccine and Paxlovid oral pill, on lower demand.
Nonetheless, Pfizer boasts a diversified portfolio of innovative drugs and vaccines, including Ibrance and Prevnar. Pfizer is witnessing solid pipeline progress and is launching some key non-COVID products in 2023, which can drive long-term sales and profit growth.
Huge profits from its COVID products strengthened its cash position, which is being used to make acquisitions, increase dividends, buy back shares and reduce debt. Estimates are stable ahead of Q3 earnings. Pfizer has a positive record of earnings surprises in the recent quarters.
IBM'sshares have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry over the year-to-date period (+5.9% vs. +0.9%). The company is poised to benefit from strong demand for hybrid cloud and AI, which should drive growth in Software and Consulting. Strong free cash flow generation indicates financial stability and the capability to pursue new growth opportunities.
IBM's active initiative to develop next-generation AI-powered technology will likely drive the top line. IBM's enterprise-focused AI and data platform Watsonx is gaining immense traction. Its unified platform allows AI developers to train, fine-tune and deploy AI solutions as per customer-specific requirements.
However, intense competition in various end markets is putting pressure on profits. Low demand for zSystems, distributed Infrastructure and support services is impeding the top line. The strategy of cutting costs to boost profitability beyond a certain threshold may impact product quality.
Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include NextEra Energy, Inc. and HCA Healthcare, Inc.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
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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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Costco Wholesale, Pfizer, IBM, NextEra Energy and HCA Healthcare
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 30, 2023 – 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: Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST - Free Report) , Pfizer Inc. (PFE - Free Report) , IBM Corp. (IBM - Free Report) , NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE - Free Report) and HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Top Research Reports for Costco, Pfizer and IBM
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 Costco Wholesale Corp., Pfizer Inc. and IBM Corp. 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 >>>
Costco's shares have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry over the year-to-date period (+20.6% vs. -0.6%). The company being a consumer defensive stock has survived market turmoil pretty well. The discount retailer's key strengths are strategic investments, a customer-centric approach, merchandise initiatives, and an emphasis on membership growth.
These factors have been helping it register decent sales and earnings numbers. This outlook reflects Costco's ability to navigate the challenging operating environment, generate solid sales, and register high membership renewal rates.
A favorable product mix, steady store traffic, pricing power and strong liquidity position should help Costco keep outperforming. While trading at a premium to its peers, its long-term growth prospects should help the stock see a solid upside.
(You can read the full research report on Costco here >>>)
Shares of Pfizer have underperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (-31.6% vs. +15.8%). The company's top line is declining in 2023 due to steep declines in revenues from its COVID-19 products, Comirnaty vaccine and Paxlovid oral pill, on lower demand.
Nonetheless, Pfizer boasts a diversified portfolio of innovative drugs and vaccines, including Ibrance and Prevnar. Pfizer is witnessing solid pipeline progress and is launching some key non-COVID products in 2023, which can drive long-term sales and profit growth.
Huge profits from its COVID products strengthened its cash position, which is being used to make acquisitions, increase dividends, buy back shares and reduce debt. Estimates are stable ahead of Q3 earnings. Pfizer has a positive record of earnings surprises in the recent quarters.
(You can read the full research report on Pfizer here >>>)
IBM'sshares have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry over the year-to-date period (+5.9% vs. +0.9%). The company is poised to benefit from strong demand for hybrid cloud and AI, which should drive growth in Software and Consulting. Strong free cash flow generation indicates financial stability and the capability to pursue new growth opportunities.
IBM's active initiative to develop next-generation AI-powered technology will likely drive the top line. IBM's enterprise-focused AI and data platform Watsonx is gaining immense traction. Its unified platform allows AI developers to train, fine-tune and deploy AI solutions as per customer-specific requirements.
However, intense competition in various end markets is putting pressure on profits. Low demand for zSystems, distributed Infrastructure and support services is impeding the top line. The strategy of cutting costs to boost profitability beyond a certain threshold may impact product quality.
(You can read the full research report on IBM here >>>)
Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include NextEra Energy, Inc. and HCA Healthcare, Inc.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
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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.