Wednesday, September 25, 2019

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 Delta Air Lines (DAL), Newmont Goldcorp (NEM) and FirstEnergy (FE). 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 >>>

Delta’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Airline industry in the past six months (18.2% vs. 2.5%). The Zacks analyst thinks that this was mainly due to upbeat passenger revenues backed by robust demand for air travel.

Evidently, passenger revenues, which account for the bulk of the company's top line, increased 7% in the first half of 2019. For the current year, Delta anticipates its top line to grow in the 6-7% band on account of strong passenger revenues. In July, Delta’s board cleared a dividend hike of 15% to 40.25 cents per share.

Initiatives to reduce debts are an added positive. However, rising operating expenses are limiting bottom-line growth. Increase in operating expenses is mainly because of high non-fuel unit costs. Technological glitches and weather-related issues can also hurt profitability.

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

Shares of Newmont have gained 5.3% in the past three months, underperforming the Zacks Mining - Gold industry’s rise of 16%. The Zacks analyst believes that the company is making notable progress with its growth projects. It is likely to gain from a number of projects including the Tanami Expansion, Subika Underground and Ahafo mill expansion.

The company also remains committed to reduce debt and improve efficiency. Moreover, the merger with Goldcorp is expected to be value-accretive to the company's cash flow and generate significant synergies.

Also, higher gold prices will likely support the company's earnings in 2019. It faces headwinds from high production costs on a year-over-year basis. Lack of growth in the company’s gold reserves is another concern.

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

FirstEnergy’s shares have gained 29.1% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry’s rise of 20.7% over the same period. The Zacks analyst believes that its modernization drive and 'Energizing the Future' plan is progressing well.

The company affirmed its long-term compound annual operating earnings growth projection in the range of 6-8% from 2018 through 2021. FirstEnergy plans to invest substantially in its transmission and distribution infrastructure in the 2018-2021 time frame. It is focused on lowering emission levels and has undertaken initiatives for the same.

However, risks of unplanned outages, high debt-capital ratio, unexpected delay in completion of the ongoing capital project and stringent regulatory norms are headwinds. Any delay in the completion of the ongoing capital project will hurt operations and profitability.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Amazon (AMZN), Fomento Economico Mexicano (FMX) and Amphenol (APH).

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>

Mark Vickery
Senior Editor

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>>>