A Forward Look, The Year Ahead - Research Report on United Continental Holdings Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., Dell Inc. and Microsoft Corporation

NEW YORK, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Today, Investors Alliance announced new research reports highlighting United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE:UAL), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Today's readers may access these reports free of charge - including full price targets, industry analysis and analyst ratings - via the links below.

United Continental Holdings Inc. Research Report

Most and not all airline investors are victors because of United Continental Holdings, Inc.'s weaker-than-expected fourth quarter and full year 2012 earnings. The decrease in passenger and cargo revenues may have significantly influenced the company's fourth quarter revenue which dropped by 2.5% year over year. United's $620 million net loss may affect some 600 employees who are given the option to voluntarily leave the company until the company starts laying off some managers and administrators. It seems like a high-time for United to rework their operations before more criticisms start to flood the company. After a series of operational problems, United seems to be repairing the damage by improving their quality of service. In January, the company awarded its eligible employees with a bonus of $100 for exceeding the 80% on-time domestic and international arrival performance goal. Recently, the company also received the 2013 Business Leadership Award from Equality Illinois for embracing fairness and diversity. The Full Research Report on United Continental Holdings Inc. - including full detailed breakdown, analyst ratings and price targets - is available to download free of charge at: [http://www.Investors-Alliance.com/r/full_research_report/4841_UAL]

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Abbott Laboratories Research Report

Abbott Laboratories focuses on the sales of medical devices, generic drugs, diagnostic tests, and nutritionals. It recently reported its fourth quarter earnings, noting a 4% increase in revenue as compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. Operating income grew 16% from its levels a year earlier. While earnings were down, the company was able to reduce much of its debt. A total of 80 percent of the company's diagnostic sales are from international markets, with 35 percent from emerging markets like Russia, China, and Brazil. In the future, Abbott will focus on these markets because they are free from the austerity measures in Europe as well as the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. The company projects earning-per-share guidance of $1.98 to $2.04 per share in 2013, ahead of most analyst forecasts. To emphasize how confident the company is about its future, a member of its Board of Directors recently bought 10,000 shares of stock. The Full Research Report on Abbott Laboratories - including full detailed breakdown, analyst ratings and price targets - is available to download free of charge at: [http://www.Investors-Alliance.com/r/full_research_report/9cb0_ABT]

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Merck & Co., Inc. Research Report

Merck has been going through a difficult time. While the company beat estimates, its fourth quarter profit fell 7%. Like all pharmaceutical companies, it faces competition from generic drug-makers as patents for its top-selling drugs expire. Furthermore, the company has decided to delay the FDA approval for an osteoporosis medication until 2014, showing difficulties in the drug's late-stage R&D progress. Merck has been cutting costs to moderate the effect of generic competition. It has also been developing new products, with five new products on the pipeline seeking for regulatory approval for 2013. However, without a breakthrough in drug research, the company may run into more difficulties soon. The Full Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc. - including full detailed breakdown, analyst ratings and price targets - is available to download free of charge at: [http://www.Investors-Alliance.com/r/full_research_report/d004_MRK]

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Dell Inc. Research Report

The price is a 25 percent premium over Dell's closing share price of $10.88 on January 11, the last trading day before rumors of a possible going-private transaction were first published. The company will stick to its ongoing turnaround strategy away from PCs to IT services amid slowing PC sales in general.

Shares of Dell suddenly increased 18 percent in mid-January, after Bloomberg reported the still unofficial buyout plan. The company has slowly been losing value over the past 12 months, hence the current diversification strategy. It has also been losing market share to Asian rivals like Lenovo and Acer, who uses computer supply-chain management that was ironically pioneered by Dell. The deal would distance the company away from the scrutiny that comes with being a publicly-traded stock, and have less emphasis on quarter-to-quarter progress. Dell would be able to make the necessary investments and be able to stick to its strategy. The buyout is expected to be completed before the end of Dell's second quarter of fiscal year 2014. The Full Research Dell Inc. - including full detailed breakdown, analyst ratings and price targets - is available to download free of charge at: [http://www.Investors-Alliance.com/r/full_research_report/c7d6_DELL]

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Microsoft Corporation Research Report

Microsoft's investment will be used in Dell's marketing and development efforts in the form of a low-risk subordinated debenture, unlike its previous investment in a stake of mobile phone manufacturer Nokia. The company isn't expected to get seats in Dell's board or get governance rights, but instead would tighten its relationship with the PC maker and its Windows software. However, the software giant has not exactly been doing well themselves, reporting a 4 percent drop in profits in Q4 despite releasing Windows 8. Its underperforming office and entertainment divisions have been instrumental in the drop in profit, and total PC sales have been declining precipitously as more consumers lean towards tablets and smartphones. Windows 8 was not able to help boost PC sales, as shipments dropped 6.4 percent in Q4 of 2012, but total Windows sales grew 24 percent for the quarter at $5.88 billion. Microsoft believes that the more touch-friendly OS is selling poorly due to a lack of touchscreen computers like Ultrabooks. Nevertheless, the company's online services have been positive for them, posting 11 percent growth. The Full Research Report on Microsoft Corporation - including full detailed breakdown, analyst ratings and price targets - is available to download free of charge at: [http://www.Investors-Alliance.com/r/full_research_report/04ec_MSFT]

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SOURCE Investors-Alliance