CHICAGO, Nov. 18, 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 Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO-Free Report), Amazon (Nasdaq:AMZN-Free Report), Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT-Free Report), Google (Nasdaq:GOOGL-Free Report) and Twitter (NYSE:TWTR-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
Last week was very eventful for the technology sector such that it was hard to pick the top stories. But here's an attempt to recap-
Cisco Results
Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO-Free Report) met our expectations for its fiscal first quarter when both revenue and earnings growth was sluggish. Cisco's problems are related to a couple of ongoing factors. The first is emerging market softness due to increased awareness about national security concerns following the Snowden episode (India and EMEA were exceptions in the last quarter, growing 6% and 2%, respectively).
The other problem is with respect to a focus on reducing hardware costs all over the world and especially in developed markets. The advent of software defined networking (SDN) is commoditizing its premium market and also telling on sales volumes. Cisco's answer to this problem is still under transition and in the meantime, things like carrier capex cuts are telling on its results.
Amazon, Hachette Call Truce
Amazon (Nasdaq:AMZN-Free Report) wanted to undercut the competition on prices and publishers have been crying foul because this also meant lower returns for them and authors. So just when it was looking like there was no middle path, the two agreed that Hachette would get to set prices, but would receive better terms only when pricing lower. Neither company provided further details.
Other stories you might have missed-
Corporate
Cisco CFO to Retire: Kelly Kramer, Cisco's SVP of business technology will take over from current CFO Frank Calderoni when he retires at the end of the year.
Separately, the company announced the opening of the seventh R&D innovation center in Tokyo for incubation and rapid prototyping of IoT solutions. The company will spend $20 million over 10 years on the Tokyo center and is also collaborating with Japanese companies like Toshiba. Earlier centers were in London (England), Barcelona (Spain), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Songdo (South Korea), Berlin (Germany) and Toronto (Canada).
Microsoft EVP Retiring by Year-end: Lisa Brummel, Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT-Free Report) EVP of Human Resources, will be succeeded by Kathleen Hogan. Hogan, who has been with the company for 11 years, joins the leadership team on Nov 28 reporting to CEO Satya Nadella. She is expected to oversee Microsoft's "cultural transformation."
Google Leases Moffet Airfield: Over the next 60 years, Google (Nasdaq:GOOGL-Free Report) will be spending $1.16 billion for the 1,000-acre property, which includes an airfield, golf course and other buildings. It will also spend another $200 million on improvements and refurbishing. Its stated goal is to use the property for R&D and assembly and testing operations related to space exploration, aviation, rover/robotics and other emerging technologies.
Amazon Drone R&D Lab in Cambridge, Hiring Drone Pilots: Amazon Prime Air is getting ready to roll. The company has opened an R&D lab in Cambridge, which is a well-known for bioscience and technology talent. It is currently looking for flight operators and research and software developers to run the show. Back in the U.S., where drone delivery (private use) is not likely to get legal until next year, Amazon is hiring engineers with at least 5 years' experience flying drones. A pilot's certificate is a preferred qualification.
Twitter Gets Junk Credit Rating from S&P: Twitter's (NYSE:TWTR-Free Report) analyst day couldn't do much for the stock since the S&P announced its junk credit rating with a fair risk profile soon after. The S&P was positive about Twitter's growth prospects and international expansion but expressed reservations about current investments that it felt were unlikely to generate sufficient cash flow until 2016.
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
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