For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – December 23, 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: Novo Nordisk A/S
NVO
, AstraZeneca PLC
AZN
and Accenture plc
ACN
, Chubb Ltd.
CB
and Roper Technologies, Inc.
ROP
.
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
Top Research Reports for Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca and Accenture
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 Novo Nordisk A/S, AstraZeneca PLC and Accenture plc. 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 >>>
Shares of
Novo Nordisk
have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (+20.5% vs. +13.7%). The company has one of the broadest diabetes portfolios in the industry. Drug sales have been gaining and maintaining momentum.
Label expansion of the existing drugs is likely to boost sales further in the days ahead. Promising diabetes drug, Ozempic is off to a solid start since its launch and remains the growth engine for the company. The launch of Rybelsus also looks impressive.
However, lower realized prices in the United States, loss of exclusivity for products and stiff competition can affect sales. The supply challenges for Wegovy have hurt the stock. The patent expiry on some of the products in Novo Nordisk’s portfolio remains a woe.
(You can
read the full research report on Novo Nordisk here >>>
)
AstraZeneca
shares have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (+16.9% vs. +13.7%). The company’s key drugs, mainly cancer medicines, Lynparza, Tagrisso and Imfinzi should keep driving revenues. Its pipeline is strong with several phase III data readouts lined up.
AstraZeneca has also been engaged in external acquisitions and strategic collaborations to boost its pipeline while investing in geographic areas of high growth like emerging markets. Cost-cutting efforts should drive earnings. The Alexion buyout strengthens its immunology franchise, adding several drugs that are boosting its top line.
However, AstraZeneca’s diabetes franchise faces stiff competition while pricing pressure hurts sales in the respiratory unit. Sales are slowing down in its key market, China.
(You can
read the full research report on AstraZeneca here >>>
)
Shares of
Accenture
have modestly underperformed the Zacks Consulting Services industry over the past year (-33.4% vs. -27.6%), with the uncertain corporate spending outlook in a cloudy macroeconomic backdrop as the biggest headwind. The company’s pricing pressure due to significant competition from strong companies like Genpact, Cognizant and Infosys, remains a concern. Global presence exposes it to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Buyout-related integration risks continues to remain a concern.
However, the company has been steadily gaining traction in its outsourcing and consulting businesses backed by high demand for services that can improve operating efficiencies and save costs. The company has been strategically enhancing its cloud and digital marketing suite through buyouts and partnerships.
The company’s strong operating cash flow has helped it reward its shareholders in the form of dividend payments and share repurchases, and pursue opportunities in areas that show true potential.
(You can
read the full research report on Accenture here >>>
)
Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Chubb Ltd. and Roper Technologies, Inc..
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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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