The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Eli Lilly, Halliburton, Monster Beverage, Huntington Bancshares And Liberty Global

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 11, 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 Eli Lilly (NYSE: (NYSE:LLY) – Free Report), Halliburton (NYSE: (NYSE:HAL) – Free Report), Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: (NASDAQ:MNST) – Free Report), Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ: (NASDAQ:HBAN) – Free Report) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ: (NASDAQ:LBTYA) – Free Report).

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Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Research Reports for Eli Lilly, Halliburton & Monster Beverage

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 Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY – Free Report), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL – Free Report) and Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST – 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 >>>

Pharmaceutical stocks have been under pressure since last year on pricing and regulatory concerns and Eli Lily shares have been no different. That said, the stock has done modestly better than the peer group; it is up +12.2% year to date vs. +10.9% gain for the Zacks Pharma industry and +9.5% increase for the Zacks Medical sector as a whole. Lilly’s second-quarter 2017 results were strong with the company beating estimates on both counts.

The company also raised its sales and earnings outlook for the year. Lilly’s new products like Trulicity, Taltz, Basaglar, Cyramza, Jardiance and Lartruvo have been performing well and the trend is expected to continue. The Zacks analyst is encouraged by the fact that Lilly expects to launch 20 new products between 2014 and 2023, including at least two new indications/line extensions on an average every year.

However, Alimta will continue to be impacted by competition. Other headwinds include competition from immuno-oncology agents as well as loss of exclusivity for many drugs.

(You canread the full research report on Eli Lilly here >>>).

Oil-related stocks have been under pressure this year on stubborn global crude glut and Halliburton shares have been no different. That said, the stock has done better than the peer group; it is down -23.6% in 2017 vs. -31.2% loss for the Zacks Oil Field Services industry.

The world’s No. 2 oilfield-services provider reported strong Q2 profit thanks to improved utilization and pricing gains in North America. Halliburton's 12th consecutive quarterly beat was aided by cost saving initiatives. HAL is also set to gain from the Summit ESP buyout on account of the latter’s expertise in extending the life of shale wells.

However, pricing pressure across the international markets is likely to dampen investor confidence. Moreover, with the failure of the BHI acquisition, HAL had to book a massive $3.5 billion in breakup charges that stretched its balance sheet. Hence, the Zacks analyst thinks investors should wait for a better entry point before buying shares in HAL.

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

Monster Beverage’s shares have gained +17.4% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Soft Drink industry’s gain of +13.9% during the same period. Monster Beverage’s earnings missed expectations but increased.6% year over year on higher sales. The international segment posted strong results and looks well positioned for the days ahead.

The Zacks analyst likes the fact that the company has several new products lined up for the remaining of 2017 which are likely to boost sales. The company successfully launched or transitioned Monster Energy Drinks to Coca-Cola bottlers in a number of markets in the quarter and expects further transitions and launches in the second half of the year. However, operating expenses continue to rise. Results were also hurt by unfavorable currency rates which dented quarterly net sales.

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

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN – Free Report) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA – Free Report).

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About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

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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