For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – May 18, 2022 – 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: Microsoft Corp. MSFT, Micron Technology, Inc. MU, UBS Group AG UBS, Illinois Tool Works Inc. ITW, and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. EPD.

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Top Research Reports for Microsoft, Micron and UBS

The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Microsoft Corp., Micron Technology, Inc., and UBS Group AG. These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.
 
You can see all of today's research reports here >>>

Shares of Microsoft Corp. have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry over the past year (+10.2% vs. -2.3%) on the back of strong performance of Azure, Office 365, Dynamics, LinkedIn, and Server products. However, third-quarter earnings were negatively impacted by the Nuance acquisition to the tune of a penny which will be minimally dilutive in fiscal 2022 and accretive in fiscal 2023 to non-GAAP earnings.

The Zacks analyst has noted that unfavorable forex hurt earnings by three cents per share while the negative impact from the suspension of all new sales and services in Russia was a penny. Unfavorable forex and Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to hurt revenues by 2% and $110 million, respectively along with increasing spending on Azure enhancements amid stiff competition in the cloud space is a headwind.

(You can read the full research report on Microsoft here >>>)

Micron Technology shares have declined -6.9% over the past year against the Zacks Semiconductor Memory industry's decline of -10.3%, as a result of near-term profitability headwinds as a result of planned salary hikesand supply constraints for certain components. Additionally, a higher level of customer inventory in the cloud, graphics, and enterprise market is a key threat.

However, The Zacks analyst believes that Micron is benefiting from growing demand for memory chips from cloud-computing providers and acceleration in 5G (fifth-generation) cellular network adoptions. A rising mix of high-value solutions, enhancement in customer engagement, and improvement in cost structure are growth drivers as well. Further, 5G adoption beyond mobile is likely to spur demand for memory and storage, particularly in the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and wireless infrastructure.

(You can read the full research report on Micron Technology here >>>)

Shares of UBS Group have outperformed the Zacks Banks - Foreign industry over the past year (+14.5% vs. -9.9%). UBS's first-quarter performance was driven by a rise in net interest income (NII) while higher expenses were ailed. The strong capital position and efficiency initiatives will continue to aid profitability. The company remains focused on opportunistic expansion strategies in various areas by entering into partnerships with other firms. Such inorganic moves will aid long-term growth.

However, The Zacks analyst believes that UBS Group AG's NII is expected to be persistently affected in the near term by the prevalent negative interest rates in Switzerland. Heightened regulatory supervision, flaring expenses, and unsustainable capital deployment activities are concerning. Nonetheless, UBS Group AG continues undertaking initiatives to digitalize its operations and serve clients better in the long run.

(You can read the full research report on UBS here >>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Illinois Tool Works Inc., and Enterprise Products Partners L.P..

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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 https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
UBS Group AG (UBS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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