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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Amgen, BHP, Altria, Apple and Target

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – May 12, 2020 – 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 Amgen AMGN, BHP Group BHP, Altria Group MO, Apple AAPL and Target TGT.

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Research Reports for Amgen, BHP, Altria and Others

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 Amgen, BHP Group and Altria Group. These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

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You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>

Amgen shares have been standout performers lately, both relative to the broader market as well as relative the peer group. This reflects growing sales momentum, according the Zacks analyst, for Amgen’s drugs like Prolia, Evenity, Repatha, Aimovig, Otezla and biosimilars will drive sales even though competition for its legacy products is steadily increasing.

Amgen beat estimates for earnings and sales in Q1. However, it expects a significant impact from coronavirus-related business disruption in Q2, which it expects will ease in the second half of 2020. Amgen boasts a strong biosimilars portfolio, which can drive long-term growth.

Amgen is also progressing with its pipeline while regularly pursuing “external opportunities” such as the acquisition of Otezla and the stake in China's BeiGene. Amgen also expects several important clinical data readouts from its innovative pipeline in 2020. However, pricing and competitive pressure are concerns.

(You can read the full research report on Amgen here >>>)

These are tough times for BHP and other miners, as you can see from the stock's recent underperformance. But the critical factor for operators like BHP at this stage is the abilit to survive and it remains well positioned on that front. The Zacks analyst believes that BHP Group’s strong cash flow and focus on lowering debt are likely to enhance its capability.

The company maintains capital and exploration expenditure guidance below $8 billion for fiscal 2020 and $8 billion for fiscal 2021. It currently has six major projects under development in petroleum, copper, iron ore and potash. Efforts to make operations more efficient on the back of smarter technology adoption across the entire value chain will drive growth.

However, slowdown in global growth and lower commodity prices due to the coronavirus outbreak is likely to impact results. The consensus estimate for earnings for the current fiscal has undergone negative revision lately. Nevertheless, even though metal prices remain subdued in the near term, it will eventually pick up on the back of the impending demand-supply imbalance.

(You can read the full research report on BHP here >>>)

Altria’s shares have lost -19.1% over the past three months against the Zacks Tobacco industry’s fall of -17.4%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company has been battling weak cigarette volumes due to stern regulations and consumers’ rising health awareness.

Though reported domestic cigarette shipment volumes rose in first-quarter 2020, it was hurt by the cigarette industry’s rate of decline and retail share losses. While management withdrew its 2020 earnings view due to COVID-19-related uncertainties, it continues to expect domestic cigarette industry volumes to drop in 2020.

Nonetheless, pricing strategies and solid oral tobacco products continued aiding Altria during the quarter, wherein top and bottom lines beat the consensus mark. Management highlighted that it hasn’t seen any material disruptions from coronavirus and is focused on strengthening its cash position amid the crisis.

(You can read the full research report on Altria here >>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Apple and Target.

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 >>

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Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

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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/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.


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Target Corporation (TGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Altria Group Inc (MO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Apple Inc (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
BHP Group Limited (BHP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Amgen Inc (AMGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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