The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Abbott, Gilead, FedEx, Archer Daniels and CBRE

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –September 10, 2018 – 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: Abbott ABT, Gilead GILD, FedEx FDX, Archer Daniels ADM andCBRE Group CBRE.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Research Reports for Abbott, Gilead and FedEx

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 Abbott, Gilead and FedEx. These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

Abbott’s shares have gained +26.5% over the past year, outperforming the Zacks Medical Products industry, which has gained +18.7% over the same period. The Zacks analyst likes the strong and consistent performance across all segments by Abbott in the last reported quarter. 

Within Structural Heart, worldwide strong uptake of MitraClip therapy improves further following the recent FDA approval of its next-generation version. This apart, synergies from Alere consolidation in the form of revenues from Rapid Diagnostics have been driving growth.

Meanwhile, emerging market performance has been extremely promising. The company has been hogging the limelight within Diabetic Care on progress with its FreeStyle Libre. On the flip side, sluggish Vascular business continues to dent growth. However, the FDA approval for XIENCE Sierra coronary stent system as well as a reimbursement approval in Japan should help Abbott to revive the dull Vascular business.

Shares of Strong Buy-rankedGilead have outperformed the Zacks Biotech industry year to date, gaining +1.7% vs. a decline of -4.9%. The Zacks analyst thinks Gilead’s HIV franchise maintains momentum driven by the rapid adoption of Descovy-based regimens.

The FDA approval of Biktarvy has further widened the portfolio. Biktarvy has also been approved in Europe which should boost sales further. The launch of Yescarta is progressing well in the United States and the approval in Europe will further boost sales.

Meanwhile, Gilead is intending to foray into the nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and inflammation market with late-stage candidates, selonsertib and filgotinib, respectively. A tentative approval will diversify Gilead’s portfolio. However, Gilead’s HCV franchise is under pressure due to competitive and pricing pressure. The departure of the CEO at this crucial time further clouds the growth prospects of the company.

FedEx’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Air Freight and Cargo industry (+16.9% vs. +10.2%) and rival United Parcel Service (+7.6%) in the past year. The Zacks analyst thinks a buoyant U.S. economy and e-commerce growth has been aiding the company.

Additionally, higher shipping rates and volume growth are huge positives for FedEx. Meanwhile, lower tax rates are boosting the company’s bottom-line performance. FedEx’s decision to reward its shareholders through dividend payments and share buybacks is impressive. However, high costs are hurting the bottom line.

Significant investments at the company's key divisions are pushing up costs as well. Capital expenses are estimated at $5.6 billion for fiscal 2019. Trade-war related fears are also weighing on FedEx.

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Archer Daniels and CBRE Group.

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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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Abbott Laboratories (ABT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
FedEx Corporation (FDX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
CBRE Group, Inc. (CBRE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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