CHICAGO, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks Equity Research highlights Belo (NYSE:BLC-Free Report) as the Bull of the Day and Carnival (NYSE:CCL-Free Report) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on the Roche (OTC:RHHBY-Free Report), Amgen (Nasdaq:AMGN-Free Report) and AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV-Free Report).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)
Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:
Belo (NYSE:BLC-Free Report) might seem like an odd Bull of the Day bull of the day being that it has agreed to be acquired by (merge with) Gannet Inc, Zacks Rank #3. Even so, I thought it was important to dig a little deeper into this deal and determine if Belo (soon Gannet) can remain a strong force in our world's changing media landscape and if Belo or GCI is worth your time.
I also consider it vital to clarify the deal and perhaps explain why Belo is trading above its purchase price of $13.75 as many retail investors may be piling into a stock that has a firm ceiling that it would be able to climb above.
Gannett will acquire all outstanding shares of Belo for $13.75 per share in cash, or approximately $1.5 billion, plus the assumption of $715 million in existing debt for an enterprise value of approximately $2.2 billion.
According to a recent press release by Gannett, the combination of Belo and Gannet will create a broadcast "Super Group," catapulting Gannett into the nation's fourth-largest owner of major network affiliates reaching nearly a third of all U.S. households.
After the deal is complete, Gannett's broadcast portfolio will almost double from 23 to 43 stations, including stations to be serviced by Gannett through shared services or similar sharing arrangements. Gannett's new broadcast segment will have greater geographic and revenue diversity, with 21 stations in the top 25 markets and will become the #1 CBS affiliate group, the #4 ABC affiliate group, and will expand its already #1 NBC affiliate group position.
Just when you thought the airlines had it tough with regulations and fuel prices, consider the cruise industry that's not only fighting for business after several recent high profile disasters, but is also a slave to the skyrocketing costs of fuel and whims of the leisure travel business.
Annual fuel bills for cruise lines like Carnival (NYSE:CCL-Free Report)(Zacks Rank #5) can easily add up to hundreds of millions of dollars as their ships can consume tens of thousands of gallons of fuel on any given cruise. The price of intermediate fuel oil, which most cruise ships use, has risen almost in sync with crude oil forcing many lines to take evasive action like augmenting routes for efficiency and even high performance hull coatings that reduce drag in the water.
But with the odds stacked against them and consumers strained around the globe, it might be rough seas for Carnival's earnings.
Less than a week ago, a man fell to his death aboard one of Carnival's newer ships, the Carnival Magic. A week before, a 12 year old boy was air-lifted after an accident on another ship. Then just yesterday, the Carnival Conquest was diverted from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama as a tug-boat capsized (unrelated), closing a 10-mile stretch of the Mississippi.
All of these incidents can cost Carnival big money in direct or indirect repercussions.
Additional content:
Priority Review for Roche Candidate
Roche (OTC:RHHBY-Free Report)'s Biologics License Application (BLA) for oncology candidate obinutuzumab (GA101) was recently accepted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for priority review.
The company is looking to get obinutuzumab approved for the treatment of patients suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
The application was primarily based on final stage 1 data from a phase III trial, CLL11 wherein it was observed that obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil achieved a statistically significant reduction of 86% in the risk of disease worsening or death.
The study was being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil (standard chemotherapy) or Roche's MabThera/Rituxan plus chlorambucil vis-à-vis only chlorambucil in patients suffering from CLL.
A final decision is expected by Dec 20, 2013. We note that the FDA granted 'Breakthrough Therapy Designation' to obinutuzumab in May 2013 following the release of positive data from the CLL11 trial.
This designation should speed up the development and review of the candidate. Roche is also looking to get the candidate approved in the EU where a marketing application was submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Apr 2013.
The successful development of obinutuzumab would help Roche replace revenues that may be lost to biosimilar versions of Rituxan once they enter the market.
We note that companies like Amgen (Nasdaq:AMGN-Free Report) are working on biosimilar versions of Rituxan.
Rituxan is approved for the treatment of CLL. Rituxan was one of the best selling drugs for Roche in 2012 with sales of CHF 6.7 billion, up 9% year over year.
We remind investors that Roche has another pipeline candidate, RG7601, which is being developed for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL and R/R non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in collaboration with AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV-Free Report).
About the Bull and Bear of the Day
Every day, the analysts at Zacks Equity Research select two stocks that are likely to outperform (Bull) or underperform (Bear) the markets over the next 3-6 months.
About the Analyst Blog
Updated throughout every trading day, the Analyst Blog provides analysis from Zacks Equity Research about the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets.
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 analyst 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. Click here to 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 BLC - FREE
Get the full Report on CCL - FREE
Get the full Report on RHHBY - FREE
Get the full Report on AMGN - FREE
Get the full Report on ABBV - 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
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
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.
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