The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Facebook, United Technologies, United Parcel Service, Amphenol And Rogers Communications

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 29, 2019 – 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: Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) , United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) , United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) , Amphenol (NYSE:APH) and Rogers Communications (NYSE:RCI) .

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Stock Reports for Facebook, United Technologies & UPS

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 Facebook, United Technologies and United Parcel Service. 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 >>>

Facebook’s shares have gained +53.1% year to date, outperforming the S&P 500’s increase of +18.1% during the same period. Facebook reported strong second-quarter 2019 results, driven by continued user growth across all regions. Asia-Pacific remained its fastest growing region, driven by growth in India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The company benefited from solid mobile ad revenues, owing to impressive growth in Instagram Stories and Feed, and Facebook News Feed. Interactive The Zacks analyst thinks stories ads on Instagram are likely to lead to better interaction among people, businesses and advertisers.

Moreover, strong sales of Oculus Quest and Rift S drove payment revenues. However, a persistent mix shift toward Stories is anticipated to hurt ARPU. Also, the company’s rising regulatory headwinds, including the antitrust investigations, are a concern.

Shares of Outperform-rated United Technologies have gained +18.5% in the past six months, outperforming the Zacks Diversified Operations industry, which has increased +16.3% over the same period. United Technologies’ second-quarter 2019 earnings and revenues surpassed expectations by 7.8% and 0.9%, respectively.

The Zacks analyst thinks strength in commercial aftermarket and military businesses coupled with high defense spending in the United States is likely to boost revenues of the company’s aerospace business. Also, favorable mix in Otis new equipment orders is likely to be a tailwind for the commercial business.

For 2019, United Technologies has revised its earnings view upward to $7.90-$8.05 per share from the prior guidance of $7.80-$8.00. Notably, the company’s cost cutting and operational excellence initiatives are likely to boost its profitability. Further, the Rockwell Collins (NYSE:COL) buyout is likely to boost sales in 2019.

United Parcel Service’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Transportation - Air Freight and Cargo industry year to date, gaining +21.2% vs. +16.8%. UPS reported better-than-expected earnings and revenues in second-quarter 2019. Both metrics also improved year over. Results were aided by an uptick in demand related to domestic shipments from e-commerce shippers.

The Zacks analyst thinks e-commerce growth is a huge positive for UPS, which expects cross-border e-commerce volume to grow by 28% during the 2019-2021 periods. The company’s efforts to reward its investors through dividends and buybacks are also impressive.

However, UPS' high capital expenditures are worrisome and might hamper bottom-line growth going forward. Trade tensions with China also poses a threat to UPS' growth. The company's high debt-equity ratio is another concern.

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Amphenol and Rogers Communications.

Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation

Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.

A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the 1990s. Zacks’ just-released special report reveals 7 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.

See 7 breakthrough stocks now>>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com

http://www.zacks.com

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 http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.