CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2014 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 the Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL-Free Report), Facebook (Nasdaq:FB-Free Report), Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX-Free Report), Google (Nasdaq:GOOGL-Free Report) and Amazon (Nasdaq:AMZN-Free Report).
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog:
Technology Stock Roundup
Apple's (Nasdaq:AAPL-Free Report) iCloud breach took the market by surprise and may have taken the shine off its new products.
Apple iCloud Breach
Apple shares took a tumble last week on privacy concerns as several celebrity accounts were hacked with related sensitive information being stolen and publicized. Users have assumed that the quality of service and security that Apple provides is superior to others and this is partly the reason for its brand value.
When news reports indicated that the breach was enabled by an oversight on Apple's part (it has now issued a patch), this led to an uproar. The incident assumes greater significance because Apple is slated to launch its new iPhone this week and the negative publicity could affect sales.
Apple has denied that any information was leaked from its servers and has instead said that the hacking was targeted and intense and that it was working with the authorities to identify the offenders. It also said that it would increase efforts to enforce two-step verification that ensures a higher level of security.
Data breach is not uncommon and usually it's a matter of when -- not whether -- it can happen. Still, since technology companies usually target youngsters, the technology goes mainstream before its effects can be understood. But people are becoming more wary, as was evident from a recent Pew Research report that found people growing more reticent on social networking platforms.
Samsung Chooses Facebook's Oculus VR Technology
Facebook Helps Videos Go Viral
Media reports say that Facebook (Nasdaq:FB-Free Report) has generated more than a billion video views a day since June, two-thirds of which were on mobile devices. Part of the success was because of the auto-load feature (which also had a negative backlash because of the associated impact on data usage). But part was also on account of its sharing capabilities. It makes a lot of sense for a star such as Beyonce for example to choose Facebook to communicate with fans because it's possible to get 2.4 million views in just four hours. This is also probably the reason that Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX-Free Report) decided to team up with Facebook so users can directly share their reactions to Netflix movies on Facebook (provided the two accounts are linked).
So video is becoming an extremely important platform for Facebook, with tremendous potential for ad revenue. This is partly the reason it has been spending on the technology. There are a couple of drawbacks in this regard at the moment: the first is the limited shelf life of these videos. Once seen and shared, the video loses value.
In contrast, YouTube doesn't share so easily because of the absence of the social element, but a video can be viewed any number of times because it is saved on YouTube and searchable. Facebook appears to be working on this angle and this could be the factor driving its keyword search technology.
The second is related to ad placements. YouTube can play video ads before the actual video plays and also place ads on the page. Video-viewing on Facebook does not take place on a separate page and if implemented, this change could even affect its appeal.
Apple Gets A Celeb Designer: Apple's wearables plans remain secret, but the company continues to invest in hardware design. Last week, it got Marc Newson on the payroll, somebody who is known for designing a host of items from airplane interiors to watches. What's more, he's also close friends with Apple's design chief Jonathan Ive, and the two have apparently worked together before.
Google Losing Lots of Talent: The media has reported that Google's (Nasdaq:GOOGL-Free Report) space/satellite/drone-building efforts continue unabated despite the fact that several important employees -- Greg Wyler (who joined Google from O3b to build satellites for Google), Brian Holz and David Bettinger -- had left the company. Separately, X Labs, which is responsible for Google's innovative moonshot projects lost a VP (Megan Smith) to the White House, which has recruited her as the government's chief technology officer. It's too early to tell if this is a good or bad thing.
Amazon CFO to Retire Next Year: After 14 years of service, Amazon (Nasdaq:AMZN-Free Report) CFO Thomas Szkutak, 53, will retire in June next year, making way for Brian Olsavsky, vice president of finance for global consumer business to fill the position. His tenure has seen Amazon's annual revenue rise 23X.
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
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.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.
Get the full Report on AAPL - FREE
Get the full Report on FB - FREE
Get the full Report on NFLX - FREE
Get the full Report on GOOGL - FREE
Get the full Report on AMZN - FREE
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
[email protected]
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.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO
SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article