Back to top

Image: Bigstock

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Intel, Starbucks, Intuitive Surgical and Western Digital

Read MoreHide Full Article

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – January 25, 2019 – 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: Intel (INTC - Free Report) , Starbucks (SBUX - Free Report) , Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Free Report) and Western Digital (WDC - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Late Thursday Q4 Earnings: INTC, SBUX & More

After market close this Thursday, following a mixed day on the indexes (Nasdaq and S&P 500 were up, Dow finished lower), we see a fresh new crop of Q4 earnings reports hitting the tape. Big names in their respective industries, Intel and Starbucks, are among those posting new numbers.

Intel, with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and Zacks Style Score (Value - Growth - Momentum) of A, reported mixed results after the bell: $1.28 per share on quarterly sales of $18.66 billion. The bottom line represents a 6-cent beat over the $1.22 Zacks consensus, as well as year-over-year growth more than 13%. The top line, however, came in light of the $19.01 billion analysts were expecting.

It’s no shock to see Intel post an earnings beat for the quarter. In fact, the company has not missed on bottom line estimates over the past 5 years. But guidance for Q1 — 87 cents per share on $16 billion in sales, well shy of the $1.01 per share and $17.35 billion expected — have helped shares slip in late-day trading, down nearly 8% at this hour. Full-year guidance was also a bit of a disappointment.

Starbucks, on the other hand, put up notable improvements from expectations in its fiscal Q1 2019 quarter: 75 cents per share beat estimates by a solid dime, while $6.63 billion in revenues surpassed the $6.48 billion in the Zacks consensus. The company pointed to a bottom line benefit worth 7 cents per share on favorable discreet tax items.

Where Starbucks really shone in the quarter, however, was in its comps to year-ago figures: +4% both globally and in the Americas, with healthy 1% growth in China. Most investors are by now familiar with the difficult scenario global companies are currently enduring in China, but apparently Starbucks is one company that has managed to break through the headwinds. Shares are up in late trading roughly 1.5% at this hour.

MedTech major Intuitive Surgical has come in notably light on earnings while narrowly beating estimates on its top line. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy)-rated stock prior to the Q4 earnings release posted 34% growth in its key da Vinci surgical system. However, this first-ever quarterly miss on the bottom line is sending shares trading down 2.8% in the after-market.

Also selling off in the late-trading hours is chip maker Western Digital, a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell)-rated company. Missing by 6 cents on earnings to $1.45 per share compares to the revenue miss of 27% in the quarter. By-now-familiar chip demand concerns is reportedly the culprit in WDC’s quarter, now trading down 4% since the earnings release.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.

Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. 

Click here for the 6 trades >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com                                   

http://www.zacks.com                                                 

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 http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Published in