Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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 Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), Oracle Corporation (ORCL) and Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), as well as two micro-cap stocks, Canterbury Park Holding Corporation (CPHC) and CompX International Inc. (CIX). These research reports have been hand-picked from roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

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

Alphabet shares have lagged the broader Tech sector this year (+25.3% vs. +33.1%) as well as the S&P 500 index (+25.3% vs. +28.2%), mostly reflecting regulatory uncertainty. The Zacks analyst believes that the company’s Google Cloud Platform products are benefiting from accelerated growth across AI infrastructure, enterprise AI platform Vertex and generative AI solutions. Its dominant position in the search engine market is a strong growth driver. Major search updates and removal of bad ads to enhance the search results continue to boost traffic on Google’s search engine.

However, increasing litigation issues and expenses remain concerns. Rising cloud competition from Microsoft and Amazon is a concern.

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

Oracle shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry over the past year (+65.4% vs. +23.4%). The Zacks analyst believes that solid adoption of strategic cloud applications, autonomous database offerings and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and recovery in cloud revenue growth have been benefiting the company. The recent partnership with Amazon for Oracle Database@AWS and general availability of Oracle Database@Google bodes well.

Yet, higher spending on product enhancements, especially toward the cloud platform amid increasing competition in the cloud domain remain major causes of concern.

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

Shares of Merck have underperformed the Zacks  Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year (-0.5% vs. +12.9%). Per the Zacks analyst, generic competition for several drugs, rising competitive pressure on diabetes franchise and declining Gardasil sales in China may pose challenges for the company. There are concerns about Merck’s ability to grow its non-oncology business ahead of Keytruda’s loss of exclusivity in 2028.

However, Keytruda, and new products have been driving Merck’s sales. Animal health and vaccine products are core growth drivers. Merck boasts a strong cancer pipeline, including Keytruda, which should drive long-term growth.

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

Canterbury Park’s shares have underperformed the Zacks Gaming industry over the last six months (-4.9% vs. +19.8%). The Zacks analyst believes that weak casino revenues and substantial losses from equity investments have ailed the company. Increased competition also remains a concern. Canterbury Park faces ongoing regulatory hurdles, particularly with the introduction of 500 on-track ADW historical horse racing terminals, which are currently subject to legal challenges and legislative scrutiny.

Yet, Canterbury Park's Canterbury Commons Development offers significant long-term revenue potential through diversified projects like an amphitheater, Winners Circle and residential units, driving growth beyond traditional gaming. Also, the company’s vision of a regional destination is progressing, with leasing success indicating solid demand.

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

CompX’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Office Supplies industry over the last six months (+31.8% vs. -11.1%). The Zacks analyst believes that a diversified customer base, strategic inventory management and growth in the company’s Security Products segment, which includes mechanical and electrical cabinet locks has been aiding the company.

Yet, the Marine Components segment has been declining in sales due to reduced towboat demand. Rising raw material costs and and exposure to macroeconomic conditions and competitive pressures in mature markets also pose risks.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Wells Fargo & Company (WFC), Morgan Stanley (MS) and Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO).

Director of Research

Sheraz Mian

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>>>