Advertisement
New Zealand markets closed
  • NZX 50

    12,105.29
    +94.63 (+0.79%)
     
  • NZD/USD

    0.5987
    +0.0011 (+0.19%)
     
  • NZD/EUR

    0.5539
    +0.0006 (+0.10%)
     
  • ALL ORDS

    8,153.70
    +80.10 (+0.99%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,896.90
    +77.30 (+0.99%)
     
  • OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    18,254.69
    -26.15 (-0.14%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     
  • NZD/JPY

    90.4620
    +0.0690 (+0.08%)
     

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, American Express Company, NIKE and Apple

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – January 13, 2020 – 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: JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM, Johnson & Johnson JNJ, American Express Company AXP, NIKE, Inc. NKE and Apple Inc. AAPL.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Dow Heads Toward 29K: Grab 5 Blue-Chip Stocks Now

In the past couple of months, the Dow has had a superb run, with the blue-chip index hitting another record high on Jan 9. The index gained 211.81 points, or 0.7%, to close at 28,956.90 after touching an intraday high of 28,988.01. Thus, the index is tantalizingly close to another psychological milestone of 29,000. The Dow had steered past the coveted 28,000 mark for the first time in its 120-year history on Nov 15.

ADVERTISEMENT

Some may say that round figures like 29,000 aren’t necessarily significant for the stock market but let’s admit it does reflect growing upbeat sentiment. And the latest Dow rally comes after the United States and Iran refrained from further military aggression.

U.S. President Trump had given clear indication that there won’t be any U.S. military strikes following an Iranian missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq. Trump had announced that the missile strikes resulted in little damage and no American lives were lost. Instead, he endorsed less lethal tools to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He ordered additional economic sanctions against Iran as well.

By the way, news that China’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He would travel to the United States to sign the “phase one” partial deal helped the blue-chip index climb north. Positive developments on the trade front have always been a market driver because Trump’s imposition of import tariffs has always slowed down global economic growth.

As Dow bulls regained confidence in the geopolitical outlook, the solid state of the domestic economy boosted investors’ sentiment. The latest ADP report on nonfarm employment was literally impressive. The report stated that the domestic economy breached the 200,000 level in job creations and smashed forecasts by 42,000 jobs.

In fact, the U.S. economy continues to hold ground, displaying outstanding resilience. After all, consumer spending has increased significantly and consumers are now more confident about their well-being. And as consumer outlays remain healthy, led by record low unemployment rate, investors certainly expect the economy to continue expanding this year as well.

5 Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy Now

Thanks to the aforementioned bullish factors, there has been a particularly sharp run-up in the 120-year-old index of 30 stocks. These companies are slated to gain in the near term as they have strong balance sheet and solid cash flow. Hence, it makes sense to invest in solid blue-chip stocks that can make the most of a Dow rally. We have, thus, selected five such blue-chip stocks that have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.operates as a financial services company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.3% in the past 60 days. The stock’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 15.7% versus the Banks - Major Regional industry’s estimated increase of 5.5%.

Johnson & Johnsonresearches and develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the health care field. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 0.7% in the past 90 days. The stock’s expected earnings growth rate for the next quarter is 10.5% against the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry’s estimated decline of 54.6%.

American Express Companyprovides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services to consumers and businesses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 0.1% in the past 90 days. The stock’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 10.9% versus the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry’s projected increase of 1.7%.

NIKE, Inc. develops, markets, and sells athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 1.3% in the past 60 days. The stock’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 20.9% versus the Shoes and Retail Apparel  industry’s estimated increase of 9.8%.

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has increased 0.3% in the past 60 days. The stock’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 10.2% versus the Computer - Mini computers industry’s expected rise of 9.9%.

Shares of JPMorgan, Johnson & Johnson, American Express, NIKE and Apple have gained 36.9%, 12.1%, 30.1%, 32.8% and 101.3%, respectively, over the past year. Take a look —

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com                    

https://www.zacks.com

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.


Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
American Express Company (AXP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
NIKE, Inc. (NKE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.