For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – July 9, 2009 – 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: Research In Motion (RIMM), Apple (AAPL), Palm (PALM), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) and Merck (MRK).
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Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Apple to Grab Smartphone Share
According to a recent survey, the mobile handset manufacturing industry continues to witness increased demand for smartphones. Around 37% of the sample population already owns a smartphone, while 14.4% plans to buy the product within next 3 months.
The major benefit from this increased demand for smartphones will be felt by industry leaders like Research In Motion (RIMM), Apple (AAPL), Palm (PALM), holding 41%, 25% and 7% market shares respectively. But new Apple and Palm products are a-buzz among the potential customers of new-age smartphones. The data unveils good business prospect for the Apple and Palm in the smartphone segment.
Again, Apple supersedes Palm in smartphone demand, as 44% of the potential smartphone buyers from the sample will buy Apple phones, while the Palm Pre has witnessed a 8% increase in smart phone purchases. The release of the iPhone 3GS, along with price cuts to their basic model have led to a big spike in future demand for Apple. The company continues to take market share with its Macintosh and smartphones.
We expect Apple to trade at a large premium to its peers. But given weak consumer spending for other products and a slowing overall PC market during fiscal 2009, we maintain a Hold rating on Apple.
Glaxo’s Cervarix Shows Promise
On July 7, GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) announced that data from a large efficacy study showed that Cervarix, its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, is highly effective in protecting against the two most common cervical cancer-causing HPV types, 16 and 18. Cervarix provided 92.9% protection against cervical pre-cancers associated with HPV 16 or 18.
HPV types 16 and 18 account for an estimated 70% of cervical cancer cases and can lead to vulvar and vaginal cancers. The study also showed that Cervarix provides cross-protection against HPV types 31, 33 and 45, which are most likely to lead to cervical cancer after 16 and 18. Results from this study, which was conducted with 18,644 women aged 15-25, were published in The Lancet.
We expect Cervarix to be a significant contributor to the company’s topline over the next several years. Cervarix is already approved in 97 countries across the world, including the European Union [EU]. Cervarix is approved for women between the ages of 10-45, which represents a significant advantage over Merck’s (MRK) Gardasil, approved for ages 11-26.
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