Wednesday, January 4 2016

Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Comcast (CMCSA), Amgen (AMGN) and General Mills (GIS). You can see all of today's research reports here >>>

Comcast shares have been strong performers since the election on hopes of favorable regulatory changes on the net neutrality front (the stock is up +10.4% since November 8th and +24% as a whole in 2016. Comcast's continued momentum reflects the strength in its Cable business and significant improvement in the NBC Universal segment. The company has been taking on the challenge of customer churn and 'cord cutting' head on through its own Internet TV service “Stream” and the incorporation of Netflix services into its X1 platform. Plans to start its own wireless service could also make strategic sense by increasing the value of its 'bundle' that adds to customer 'stickiness'. (You can read the full research report on Comcast here>>)

Amgen shares struggled last year, as did the broader pharmaceutical space, on drug pricing related fears that haven't totally gone away since the election. These headwinds notwithstanding, the Zacks analyst points to Amgen’s impressive quarterly results, its portfolio of blockbuster drugs, the prospect for efficiency gains from the restructuring plan and track record of returning excess cash to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Amgen is also progressing with its pipeline given quite a few regulatory and data updates scheduled for the coming quarters. (You can read the full research report on Amgen here>>)

General Mills shares lagged the market last year as market participants shifted away from consumer staples and other high dividend stocks. Weakness in the company's U.S. Retail segment has also been an issue, though the Zacks analyst points to the company's robust restructuring savings, which are making up for the slower revenue growth. Though consumer-focused innovation and marketing efforts will eventually help improve businesses in like cereals and snacks, a material improvement will likely take time. (You can read the full research report on General Mills here>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Charter Communications (CHTR), Target (TGT) and Ford (F).

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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 >>>