The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Yahoo, Netflix, Google, Microsoft and Apple
CHICAGO, July 8, 2014 /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 Yahoo (Nasdaq:YHOO-Free Report), Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX-Free Report), Google (Nasdaq:GOOGL-Free Report), Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT-Free Report) and Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL-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
Analyst upgrades has a huge impact on company shares last week, particularly those of Yahoo (Nasdaq:YHOO-Free Report) and Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX-Free Report). Here's a look at the top stories-
Yahoo Analyst Upgrade
Yahoo shares jumped last week as Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster said that the market was under-estimating the value of Yahoo's holdings in Alibaba. The analyst expects Yahoo shares to rally 20% as the date for the IPO draws near.
Yahoo's shares have languished in the recent past as filings with the SEC indicated that the company's holdings were slightly less than previously estimated. Yahoo will offload 40% of its holdings in the upcoming IPO, which will release cash for investments, acquisitions and/or dividends.
Google Takes Browser Leadership
Adobe Digital Index recently released a report that says that Google's (Nasdaq:GOOGL-Free Report) browser market share in the U.S. has surpassed that of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT-Free Report). As quoted in a recent media report, Google's Android and Chrome browsers together account for a 67.5% share. Although Google is not the leader on either the desktop or mobile platforms on a standalone basis, it is well ahead of the others (Microsoft 18.6%, Yahoo 10.1%, others the balance) when both platforms are considered.
Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL-Free Report) has a 59.1% share of the mobile browser segment, but no presence in desktops. Since mobile devices will continue to outgrow desktop devices in the foreseeable future and Google's bread and butter is search, Apple's decision to gradually push it out of its devices is a source of pain. This could be one of the reasons for its Chromebook, which continues to grow strongly off a small base.
Other stories you may have missed-
Corporate
Yahoo Closes Some Businesses: In line with plans to shed underperforming product lines, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said that Shine (a women's lifestyle site), Xobni (a contact management app) and Yahoo Voices (a people-finding search engine) would be shut down this month. This doesn't mean that Yahoo is doing away with these business ideas – for instance, it has already launched Yahoo Beauty, which is a digital magazine run by makeup artist Bobbi Brown. But Yahoo is either integrating or creating new products that match Yahoo's new brand image.
Google to Shutter Orkut: Google's social networking platform Orkut that picked up strongly in some parts of the world is on its way out. The company plans to close the service by Sep 30, saying that the strong growth rates in YouTube, Blogger and Google+ made this a non-strategic product. It's not clear if Google+ is headed the same way, but it's a possibility considering that Vic Gundotra, the VP looking after Google's social efforts left earlier this year.
Some numbers
Gartner Lowers Estimates for Global IT Spending: Gartner lowered its IT spending estimates for 2014 from 3.2% to 2.1%. The research firm sees pricing pressure in devices and data center systems, which it expects will have a negative impact on overall revenue. Growth in software and IT services is expected to be much stronger at 6.9% and 3.8%, respectively. Gartner estimates that IT spending grew a mere 1% in 2013.
Xiaomi Talks Sales Numbers: Privately-held Xiaomi said it sold 26.11 million smartphones in the first half of 2014, more than the 18.7 million sold in all of 2013. Revenue surged 149% from first-half 2013. Xiaomi is China's third largest smartphone brand behind Samsung and Lenovo, according to research firm Counterpoint.
Microsoft's Loss Is Google's Gain: A report from Kantar Worldpanel reveals Microsoft's shrinking smartphone market share. The report from the research firm says that Microsoft's share in the U.S. dropped from 4.7% year over year to 3.8% in May 2014. It is also losing momentum in Germany and Brazil and getting completely pushed out of China. Google is the clear winner with its Android OS share going from 52% to 61.9% in the U.S. Apple's iOS went from 41.9% to 32.5%.
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
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