The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apple, Procter & Gamble, Celgene, PayPal And Southern

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – June 19, 2017 – 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 Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL – Free Report ), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG – Free Report ), Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG – Free Report ), PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL – Free Report ) and Southern Company (NYSE:SO) (NYSE: SO – Free Report ).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free .

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Analyst Reports for Monday: AAPL, PG, CELG & More

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 Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL – Free Report ), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG – Free Report ) and Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG – Free Report ).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 >>>

Apple shares are up +24.1% in the year-to-date period, handily outperforming the S&P 500 (up +9%) and the Zacks Technology sector (up +14.2%), with each of the last two earnings releases adding to the stock’s momentum. In the updated research report issued today, the Zacks analyst points out that Apple’s fortunes are tied to its flagship offering, the iPhone, at least in the near term. The buzz surrounding iPhone 8, which is already labeled a super cycle, should allay investors fear about iPhone sales trajectory. Also, the company announced an increase in the share repurchase authorization by $50 billion, taking total authorization to $300 million. Apple raised its quarterly dividend by 10.5%. However, macroeconomic headwinds in some key regions like China and increasing competition remain concerns.

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

Shares of Procter & Gamble outperformed the Zacks Consumer Staples sector in the past year (+7.7% vs. +5.9%). However, P&G shares have underperformed the S&P 500 index in the year-to-date period (up +6.5% vs. +9%). The company has been struggling to boost market growth for the last few quarters. Also, significant negative forex impact has been hurting sales. But the Zacks analyst likes the fact that P&G is speeding up innovations and investments to counter softening industry growth. Its productivity improvements and aggressive cost-saving efforts are also consistently helping to boost profit levels.

(You can read the full research report on Procter & Gamble here >>> ) .

Celgene ’s shares have gained +4.6% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics sector which has gained +2.5% over the same period. Celgene’s multiple myeloma drug Revlimid continues to grow on the back of market share gains and increased duration. However, Otezla sales in the first quarter were impacted by managed care dynamics that drove lower total marketplace prescriptions for psoriasis therapies. The Zacks analyst likes Celgene’s ongoing label expansion efforts and pipeline development. The company anticipates several pipeline-related events over the upcoming quarters and next few years.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL – Free Report ) and Southern Company (NYSE: SO – Free Report ).

More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run

Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade, which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs.

A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >>

Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

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