The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Facebook, UnitedHealth, HSBC, PetroChina And Netflix

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –October 21, 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) , UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) , HSBC Holdings (NYSE:HSBC) , PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) and Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) .

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Analyst Reports for Facebook, UnitedHealth and HSBC

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, UnitedHealth and HSBC Holdings. 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 outperformed the S&P 500 year to date (45.2% vs. 19.6%). The Zacks analyst thinks that solid mobile ad revenues, driven by impressive growth in Instagram Stories and Feed, and Facebook News Feed, are expected to boost the top line.

Facebook’s initiatives to improve privacy, transparency and authenticity of ads, and remove fake accounts are likely to boost user trust and engagement. Further, partnerships with ESPN and Fox for sports related streaming on Facebook Watch are a positive. The acquisition of CTRL-Lab will drive growth in the long haul.

However, the company’s rising regulatory headwinds, including the antitrust investigation and the EU’s investigation of Libra, are a concern. The unfriendly regulatory environment is expected to delay Libra’s launch, which Facebook has targeted for the first half of 2020.

Shares of UnitedHealth have gained 9.9% in the past six months against the Zacks Medical Insurance industry’s rise of 8.6%. The Zacks analyst believes that higher revenues, strength in both segments — UnitedHealthcare and Optum — plus membership growth led to this outperformance.

UnitedHealth Group stands apart in the industry by virtue of healthcare services, technology and innovations offered by its unit, Optum. Numerous acquisitions made by the company have led to inorganic growth. Its solid balance sheet and consistent cash flow generation enables investment in business.

Also, capital management by dividend payout and share buyback is another positive. However, slowdown of growth in international operations and underperformance in Medicaid business are some concerns.

HSBC’s shares have lost 6% over the past three months against the Zacks Foreign Banks industry’s decline of 3.6%. The Zacks analyst believes that while the company’s initiatives to improve market share in the U.K. and China are likely to lead to an increase in expenses and hurt bottom-line growth, these efforts will support financials over the long term.

Also, initiatives to strengthen digital capabilities globally, improve operating efficiency and open 50 new retail banking branches in the United States will go a long way in supporting profits. Its steady capital deployments are impressive, reflecting strong balance sheet position and will enhance shareholder value.

Nevertheless, disappointing economic growth in Europe and weak loan demand are likely to hurt revenue growth to some extent. Additionally, uncertainty related to the implication of Brexit on its financials remains a major near-term concern.

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include PetroChina and Netflix.

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