Alphabet Stock’s a ‘Bargain’ in the Magnificent Seven, Says Analyst — Barrons.com

/ / Technology /

Angela Palumbo Alphabet stock was dropping Wednesday after investors digested disappointing fourth-quarter advertising revenue, but analysts remained bullish on the company’s artificial-intelligence opportunities and valuation. Shares of Google parent Alphabet were falling 5.6% in premarket trading Wednesday to $142.93, while Nasdaq Composite futures are about 1% in the red. Even though the tech-giant posted fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street expectations, advertising sales missed the consensus call. “Although GenAI tools across Search and Ads should be tailwinds to growth, 4Q results suggest Search growth likely continues to decelerate, despite a strengthening overall ad environment and we’ll be watching whether newer GenAI ad tools improve Google’s Search revenue trajectory, ” Citi analyst Ronald Josey wrote Wednesday. Josey increased his price target on the stock to $168 from $153, and maintained his Buy rating, “given improving trends across Google Cloud, YouTube, and subscriptions as the broader advertising environment continues to […]

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Credit Card Company Mastercard Defies Market Predictions In Q4, Healthy Consumer Spending & Volume Drive Growth

/ / Industrials /

Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) shares are trading lower after the company reported fourth-quarter 2023 results. Net revenues stood at $6.55 billion, up 13% Y/Y and 11% Y/Y on a neutral currency basis, beating the consensus of $6.48 billion. Adjusted EPS rose 20% Y/Y to $3.18, exceeding the consensus of $3.08. Payment network net revenue rose 9% Y/Y (+7% Y/Y on a currency-neutral basis), led by growth in gross dollar volume (+10% Y/Y), cross-border volume (+18% Y/Y) and switched transactions (+12% Y/Y). Value-added services and solutions net revenue rose 19% and 17% on a currency-neutral basis, driven by continued strong growth in cyber and intelligence solutions and high demand for consulting and marketing services and loyalty solutions. Total operating expenses increased 21%. Excluding the impact of special items, adjusted operating expenses increased 10%, or 9%, on a currency-neutral basis primarily due to higher personnel costs. The adjusted operating margin expanded over 100bps Y/Y

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General Motors (NYSE:GM) Stock Analyst Ratings

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

General Motors (NYSE:GM) Stock Analyst Ratings Date Upside/Downside Analyst Firm Price Target Change Rating Change Previous / Current Rating 01/31/2024 17.65% Wedbush $40 → $45 Maintains Outperform 01/24/2024 15.03% Barclays $37 → $44 Maintains Overweight 01/24/2024 4.58% Redburn Atlantic → $40 Initiates Coverage On → Neutral 01/04/2024 — Wolfe Research Upgrades Peer Perform → Outperform 12/04/2023 148.37% Citigroup $90 → $95 Maintains Buy 12/04/2023 7.97% HSBC → $41.3 Initiates Coverage On → Buy 12/04/2023 9.8% Mizuho $38 → $42 Upgrades Neutral → Buy 12/01/2023 41.18% RBC Capital $48 → $54 Maintains Outperform 11/30/2023 4.58% Wedbush $46 → $40 Maintains Outperform 11/30/2023 -29.41% Wells Fargo $25 → $27 Maintains Underweight 11/01/2023 -3.27% Barclays → $37 Upgrades Equal-Weight → Overweight 10/27/2023 4.58% Morgan Stanley $41 → $40 Maintains Overweight 10/25/2023 -0.65% Mizuho $40 → $38 Maintains Neutral 10/25/2023 25.49% RBC Capital $47 → $48 Maintains Outperform 10/25/2023 -3.27% Barclays $42 → $37

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Abbott Rolls Out Protein Shake Amid Weight Loss Drug Craze

/ / Health Care /

Abbott Laboratories launches a high-protein shake to help people maintain muscle mass while pursuing weight loss, one of a wave of such products expected to come to market amid strong demand for new weight-loss drugs. Companies including Abbott and Nestle have said in recent months that they would develop companion products for people trying to shed pounds. Abbott’s shake, introduced under the company’s new Protality brand, is intended for adults who may have a hard time getting enough protein and other essential nutrients to support muscle mass while consuming fewer calories, the company says. Marketed in milk chocolate and vanilla flavors, it will be sold online and in stores like Walmart and Kroger, Abbott says.

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Boeing Results Beat on Everything, but Keeps Investors Guessing on the Outlook

/ / Industrials /

By Tomi Kilgore Strength in closely watched commercial airlines business helped push revenue well above expectations Boeing Co. assuaged investors’ fears for the moment on Wednesday, as the aerospace and defense giant’s fourth-quarter results beat Wall Street expectations in all of the key metrics, amid strength in the closely watched commercial-airplanes business. But a sense of uncertainty remained, as the company did not provide guidance for 2024 in the earnings release or in the investor presentation presented on the website. The post-earnings conference call with analysts starts at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. The stock (BA) bounced 3.4% in morning trading. It had closed Tuesday at the lowest price since Nov. 10, after tumbling 19.5% since the in-flight blowout of a panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane led to groundings of aircraft. “The full ramifications of the latest MAX safety issues have yet to be felt, and we see it

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Microsoft Earnings May Have Offered a Big Bullish Clue About Cloud Growth

/ / Technology /

By Emily Bary Capital-spending forecast suggests Microsoft ‘has line of sight to a significant increase in cloud revenue,’ Bernstein says Forget Microsoft Corp.’s expectation for Azure revenue growth this quarter that is similar to what was seen last quarter. There may have been a far more bullish hint in the company’s latest commentary about what to expect from the cloud business. Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler told investors to look at Microsoft’s (MSFT) capital-expenditure forecast, which calls for such spending “to increase materially on a sequential basis” on the heels of investments in cloud and artificial-intelligence infrastructure. “We believe this indicates that management has line of sight to a significant increase in cloud revenue,” Moerdler wrote in his note to clients. “We also see this as an indicator that Microsoft has taken the AI mantle and Azure could become the biggest and more important hyperscaler provider.” Moerdler further believes that Microsoft’s

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Qualcomm Q1 Earnings Preview: Analysts Focus On Automotive Growth, AI, Stock Valuation

/ / Technology /

Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM), will be reporting its first-quarter earnings on Jan. 31. Wall Street expects $2.37 in EPS and $9.51 billion in revenues as the company reports after market hours. The San Diego-based company is poised to benefit significantly from the ongoing AI revolution and the resulting secular tailwinds. The convergence of AI technologies and mobile devices is expected to drive an upgrade cycle, and Qualcomm is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend. Qualcomm’s growth prospects extend beyond mobile devices, with substantial opportunities in the PC, automotive, and Internet of Things (IoT) sectors. Qualcomm’s reasonable valuation, coupled with its strong performance and competitive product releases, reinforces its position as a long-term buy. Here’s what analysts will be focusing on, and how the stock currently maps against Wall Street estimates. Qualcomm Investment Thesis The last fiscal quarter indicates positive momentum for Qualcomm’s business, with a notable increase in non-GAAP EPS and robust

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Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) Stock Analyst Ratings

/ / Financials /

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) Stock Analyst Ratings Date Upside/Downside Analyst Firm Price Target Change Rating Change Previous / Current Rating 01/30/2024 10.93% BMO Capital $27 → $30 Maintains Market Perform 01/19/2024 -11.26% Morgan Stanley $22 → $24 Maintains Underweight 01/10/2024 10.93% UBS $26 → $30 Maintains Neutral 01/08/2024 10.93% Wells Fargo $24 → $30 Upgrades Underweight → Equal-Weight 01/04/2024 18.32% TD Cowen → $32 Initiates Coverage On → Market Perform 11/02/2023 -18.65% Morgan Stanley $23 → $22 Maintains Underweight 10/11/2023 -11.26% Deutsche Bank $26 → $24 Maintains Hold 10/06/2023 -14.96% Morgan Stanley $24 → $23 Maintains Underweight 08/08/2023 -11.26% Morgan Stanley $23 → $24 Maintains Underweight 08/01/2023 -9.41% Goldman Sachs $21.5 → $24.5 Maintains Sell 07/31/2023 -9.41% Goldman Sachs $21.5 → $24.5 Maintains Sell 07/31/2023 -0.17% BMO Capital $24 → $27 Maintains Market Perform 07/25/2023 -14.96% Morgan Stanley $23 → $23 Reiterates Underweight → Underweight 07/13/2023 -3.86% Wells Fargo $25.5 →

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General Motors(GM.US) Q4 2023 Earnings Conference

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

The following is a summary of the General Motors Company (GM) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript: Financial Performance: GM displayed strong financial performance in 2023, with a full year EBIT-adjusted of $12.4 billion and adjusted auto-free cash flow of $11.7 billion. A robust share repurchase program was launched leading to present share count standing at less than 1.2 billion. Revenue recorded a year-on-year growth of 10%, hitting a record $172 billion, while EPS diluted adjustments stood at $7.68. Q4 revenue remained consistent year-over-year at $43 billion with $1.8 billion in EBIT adjusted, and $1.24 in EPS diluted adjusted. For 2024, GM projects an EBIT-adjusted in the $12 billion to $14 billion range and an EPS diluted adjusted in the $8.50 to $9.50 range. Business Progress: GM recorded record sales in the US in 2023 with Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV leading sales. By implementing a shift towards electric vehicles, GM

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Netflix Rally Pushes Bullish Analyst to the Sidelines

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

The run-up of Netflix’s share price in recent months has Seaport Research Partners analyst David Joyce downgrading the stock to neutral from buy. In a research note, the analyst questions where else the stock price has to go after rapidly increasing to his $576 price target. “Whether Netflix is priced for perfection or not, we wonder who is the incremental buyer, and what are they playing for?” Joyce says. The big opportunity presented by Netflix’s new ad-supported subscription tier seems already baked into the stock price and has lifted valuation parameters far above normal ranges, the analyst says. Shares slip 1.9% to $564.81.

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