The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Priceline.com, Yahoo, Google, Facebook and Microsoft
CHICAGO, Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 Priceline.com (Nasdaq:PCLN-Free Report), Yahoo Inc (Nasdaq:YHOO-Free Report), Google (Nasdaq:GOOG-Free Report), Facebook (Nasdaq:FB-Free Report), and Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT-Free Report).
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Here are highlights from Wednesday's Analyst Blog:
Priceline's Explore App for iPad
Priceline.com (Nasdaq:PCLN-Free Report), a part of The Priceline Group recently launched the "Explore" functionality on iPad app. Travelers can now search for flights and real-time pricing without specifying any particular destination.
Explore brings travel exploration, research and booking capabilities on a single platform. The new app is an improvement over Priceline.com's existing app. The app provides an easy-to-navigate graphical map of the world and an extensive range of improved and innovative search capabilities that enable users to select a destination and travel experience of their choice.
The new app is powered by Travelport Flex Explore search technology. The app helps travelers access customized global searches on a local level through an interactive touch-screen map.
Priceline remains focused on inventing new products and maintaining its competitive advantage worldwide. The rise in demand for Priceline's innovative products and services is likely to augment its overall revenues.
Priceline.com Incorporated has pioneered a unique e-commerce pricing system known as a demand collection system that enables consumers to use the Internet to save money on a wide range of products and services while enabling sellers to generate incremental revenues.
Priceline reported revenues of $2.27 billion in the third quarter of 2013, representing a sequential increase of 35.1% and a year-over-year increase of 33.0%. While both channels grew in the last quarter, agency was again much stronger than merchant. Priceline's strong results indicate share gains in both domestic and international markets.
Currently, Priceline has a Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy).
Yahoo to Encrypt Data
Yahoo Inc (Nasdaq:YHOO-Free Report) recently announced that it would increase its efforts to protect user privacy by encrypting information flowing between its data centers within the first quarter of 2014. Users will have the option to apply the same to all data flow between themselves and Yahoo!'s services.
This announcement came close on the heels of recent reports about NSA and other government agencies tapping communication lines of the data centers operated by Yahoo and Google (Nasdaq:GOOG-Free Report).
The increased use of encryption technology is aimed at combatting government surveillance that may be occurring without the knowledge of the companies. Even when it's encrypted, online data can still be accessed, but without the decoding keys the information is unintelligible.
Reportedly, Google started encrypting soon after recent revelations about the NSA's data gathering created massive outburst, criticism and concern regarding privacy of users.
The adverse publicity doesn't seem to have hurt user activity on Yahoo. The company's search business continues to show signs of improvement, even in the face of tough competition from Facebook (Nasdaq:FB-Free Report), Google and Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT-Free Report). Currently, Yahoo has a huge task at hand, which is to retain and add to its user base and make them spend more time on its properties. This would play an important role in bringing back advertisers as well.
However, inability to protect user information could damage its reputation and affect its credibility, thus slowing down its financial growth and undercutting its stock prices in the process.
Though monetization on Yahoo properties needs to improve, Marissa Mayer is clearly steering Yahoo in a new direction. This, along with the Alibaba IPO news has boosted share prices. In the last six months, Yahoo shares have appreciated 40.3%.
Yahoo reported GAAP revenues of $1.14 billion in the third quarter, flat sequentially but down 5.2% year over year. Traffic acquisition cost (TAC) was down 9.1% sequentially and 48.2% from last year. Excluding these costs in all periods, net revenue was essentially flat (up 0.9% sequentially and down 0.8% year over year).
Currently, Yahoo has a Zacks Rank # 3 (Hold).
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
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