For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – March 16, 2023 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the analyst blog. Every day, Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events affecting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured on the blog include: Union Pacific Corp. UNP, Starbucks Corp. SBUX, Duke Energy Corp. DUK, Copart, Inc. CPRT and HP Inc. HPQ
Here are the highlights from Wednesday’s analyst blog:
Top analyst reports for Union Pacific, Starbucks and Duke Energy
The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research from our team of analysts. Today’s Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks including Union Pacific Corp., Starbucks Corp. and Duke Energy Corp. These research reports were selected from the approximately 70 reports released today by our team of analysts.
You can All current research reports can be found here >>>
shares of Union Pacific underperformed the Zacks Transportation – Rail industry last year (-26.1% vs. -18.7%). The company faces heat from escalating fuel costs as oil prices move north, which is worrying. This phenomenon led to a 20% increase in operating costs in 2022. Fuel costs increased by 68% last year. The same is likely to be high in the March quarter as well.
However, we welcome Union Pacific’s efforts to reward its shareholders even in the current uncertain scenario. The company increased the dividend twice in 2021. In May 2022, UNP continued to increase its quarterly dividend by 10%. The railway operator is also active on the buy-back front.
In 2022, UNP repurchased $6,282 million worth of stock. The railroad operator paid $3,159 million worth of dividends in 2022. UNP’s strong ability to generate free cash flow supports its shareholder-friendly activities. The increase in overall volume (up 2% in 2002 over the previous year) as labor problems ease is an additional positive aspect.
(You can Read the full research report on Union Pacific here >>>)
Starbucks Stocks have outperformed the Zacks Retail – Restaurants industry (+14.0% vs. +7.8%) over the past year. The Company benefits from a solid global brand awareness that is underpinned, with management focused on increasing global market share by judiciously opening stores in new and existing markets and transforming existing stores.
North American comps continue to impress investors. The company also supports through successful menu innovations and digital initiatives as well as its exceptional loyalty programs.
However, its performance continues to be hampered by dismal results in China, higher-than-expected inflationary pressures, higher costs and a tight labor market. The earnings estimate for fiscal 2023 fell over the past 60 days, reflecting analyst concerns about the growth outlook.
(You can Read the full Starbucks research report here >>>)
shares of duke energy underperformed the Zacks Utility – Electric Power industry over the past year (-10.3% vs. -7.8%). The Company’s ability to reach a net-zero target by 2050 at a cost-effective price could be at risk due to higher technology resource prices. A comparative analysis of the stock’s 12-month enterprise value-to-sales ratio paints a bleak picture that might worry investors.
Nonetheless, Duke Energy is a leading utility company focused on expanding the scale of its operations and implementing modern technology in its facilities by investing heavily in infrastructure and expansion projects. For the period 2023-2027, the company plans to invest $65 billion in capital. The company also wants to expand further in the electric vehicle segment.
(You can Read the full research report on Duke Energy here >>>)
Other notable reports we present today are Copart, Inc. and HP Inc.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The potential for loss is inherent in every investment. This material is provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. No recommendation or advice is given as to whether an investment is suitable for a is suitable for certain investors. It should not be assumed that investments in any security, company, sector or market identified and described have been or will be profitable. All information is current at the time of publication and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the company as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or investment management activities for securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios composed of Zacks rank = 1 stocks rebalanced monthly excluding transaction costs. These are not actual stock portfolio returns. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information on the performance figures presented in this press release.
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