Top Research Reports for JPMorgan, Home Depot & Merck

Friday, May 7, 2021

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 JPMorgan Chase (JPM), The Home Depot (HD), and Merck (MRK). 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 JPMorgan have been standout performers lately, with the stock up +72.4% over the past year vs. +45.7% for the S&P 500 index. The Zacks analyst believes that branch openings in new regions, inorganic expansion efforts and a strong mortgage banking business are likely to keep supporting financials.

While the Fed's accommodative policy and near-zero rates are expected to hurt interest income and margins, gradual economic recovery will likely lead to a rise in demand for loans. Further, JPMorgan's impressive capital deployments reflect earnings strength and solid balance sheet.

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

The Home Depot shares have gained +24.9% over the last six months against the Zacks Retail Building Products industry’s gain of +24.2%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company’s interconnected retail strategy and underlying technology infrastructure have helped boost web traffic in fiscal 2020.

Meanwhile, broad-based strength across its businesses and geographies led to comparable sales growth in fourth-quarter fiscal 2020. The company also gained from strong growth in its Pro and DIY customer categories. However, it has been witnessing soft margins trend due to higher expenses. Also, negative product mix and pressures from higher transportation costs have been major headwinds.

(You can read the full research report on The Home Depot here >>>)

Shares of Merck have gained +4.2% in the past three months against the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry’s gain of +3.3%. The Zacks analyst believes that Merck’s drugs like Keytruda, Lynparza and Bridion have been boosting sales. Keytruda sales have benefited from increasing usage in cancer immunotherapy.

Meanwhile, animal health and vaccine products remain core growth drivers. However, generic competition for several drugs and rising competitive pressure will continue to remain overhangs on the top line. Further, reduced wellness visits amid the pandemic have weighed on the sales of Merck’s physician-administered drugs and vaccines.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include T-Mobile US (TMUS), Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Twilio (TWLO).

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Sheraz Mian

Director of Research

Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>>

Today's Must Read

Loan Growth, Branch Expansion Efforts Support JPMorgan (JPM)

Interconnected Retail Strategy Aids Home Depot's (HD) Growth

Key Drugs Drive Merck's (MRK) Sales Amid Pandemic

Featured Reports

T-Mobile (TMUS) Leapfrogs Competition on 5G Network Strength

Per the Zacks analyst, T-Mobile is poised to benefit from its Extended Range 5G that covers 295 million people across 1.6 million square miles, largely driven by the Sprint merger synergies.

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) Rides on Solid Product Uptake

The Zacks analyst is upbeat about the strong adoption of Edwards Lifesciences' premium RESILIA tissue valves and the SAPIEN 3 Ultra platform.

Twilio (TWLO) Banks on Growing Active Customer Accounts

Per the Zacks analyst, Twilio's continued focus on its go-to-market sales strategy is helping it grow its active customer accounts, which is driving top-line growth.

Core Subscription Segment Continues to Aid Veeva (VEEV)

Per the Zacks analyst, sustained strength in Veeva's core Subscription Service unit continues to boost the company's growth prospects.

Focus on Hydrogen Technology to Drive Cummins (CMI)

The Zacks analyst believes that the Hydrogenics buyout and partnership with NPROXX will expand Cummins' fuel cell and hydrogen-processing technology capabilities, thereby buoying revenue growth.

Residential Demand Aids Vulcan (VMC), Weather Woes Stay

Per the Zacks analyst, Vulcan has been benefiting from robust demand in the residential market. However, seasonal influences on its business pose threats.

Investments Aid Edison International (EIX), Rising Costs Ail

Per the Zacks analyst, systematic capital investment boosts Edison International's infrastructure and customer reliability.

New Upgrades

Gartner (IT) Benefits From High-Quality Analysis Offering

The Zacks analyst believes that Gartner's high-quality, timely, thought-provoking, and comprehensive analysis offering helps it to counter growing competition.

Cincinnati Financial (CINF) to Gain From Commercial Lines

Per the Zacks analyst, solid performance at the Commercial Lines Insurance segment backed by several growth initiatives and increase in insurance rates has been driving revenue growth at the company.

Strength Across Data Center End-Market Benefits MACOM (MTSI)

Per the Zacks analyst, MACOM is gaining from solid cloud services demand which is accelerating both of its domestic and international deployments in the data center market.

New Downgrades

Inclement Weather Conditions Hurt Martin Marietta (MLM)

The Zacks analyst stresses that unfavorable winter weather conditions in Texas and Colorado, as well as reduced energy-sector demand, hurt Martin Marietta's (MLM) Aggregates business.

Production Outages, High Debt Level Ail Methanex (MEOH)

According to the Zacks analyst, production outages and idling of certain facilities will affect the company's operations. Also, a highly leveraged balance sheet is a concern.

Global Blood's (GBT) High Reliance on Oxbryta for Revenues a Woe

Per the Zacks analyst, Global Blood is solely dependent on lead drug Oxbryta for revenues, which is a concern. Stiff competition from other companies in the target market also remains a headwind.

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Twilio Inc. (TWLO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
TMobile US, Inc. (TMUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (EW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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