CHICAGO, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 the Deckers Outdoor Corporation (Nasdaq:DECK-Free Report), Arris Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:ARRS-Free Report), Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq:CMCSA-Free Report), Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC-Free Report) and Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG-Free Report).
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Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog:
Bullish on Deckers Outdoor
We upgraded our recommendation on Deckers Outdoor Corporation (Nasdaq:DECK-Free Report), the designer and producer of footwear and accessories, to Outperform from Neutral.
Why the Upgrade?
The challenging macroeconomic environment compelled Deckers to resort to various means for repositioning itself and keep afloat. Such measures include focusing on new product introductions, effective cost management and new store openings. This is well reflected through Deckers' better-than-expected second-quarter 2013 bottom-line results.
The company posted a quarterly loss of 85 cents a share that fared better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate and management's guidance due to lower operational expenses. The high note in the quarter was the 34.2% rise in eCommerce sales.
On the back of robust eCommerce sales trends, Deckers provided an improved outlook for 2013 with both revenue and earnings per share projected to increase 8%.
Following sturdy results, the analysts become more constructive on the stock's future performance. Consequently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 increased 2.4% to $3.80, while for 2014 it rose 2% to $4.52 per share in the last 60 days.
The earnings surprise history of this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock also sparks optimism about its future upbeat performance. Deckers has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last four quarters by an average of 44.1%.
Deckers is also expanding its footprint by targeting profitable markets. This is well evident from the company's retail store sales that rose 29.1%, propelled by the opening of 36 new stores during the second quarter of 2013. Management is eyeing opportunities for store expansion in Asia, mainly Japan and China, and seeks to enhance the company's presence in South Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia, Singapore and Australia.
Arris Downgraded from Outperform
We downgrade our recommendation on Arris Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:ARRS-Free Report) to Neutral based on its high level of current valuation. The stock price has soared nearly 35% in the last year and currently provides limited opportunity for above-market gain. Arris will report its third-quarter 2013 financial results on Oct 30, after the closing bell. Arris currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Why the Downgrade?
Arris is solely dependent on cable operators for revenues. Lack of industry diversification may result in limited business prospects. Potential shifts in industry dynamics may adversely impact cable TV service providers.
This is evident from the fact that large telecom carriers in the U.S. are increasingly expanding their high-speed fiber-based network and satellite TV providers are also upgrading their networks. Cable MSOs are gradually losing their basic video customers to low-cost satellite TV and Internet video service providers.
Customer concentration remains high for the company. In the previous quarter, the two largest cable TV operators, namely, Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq:CMCSA-Free Report) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC-Free Report) together accounted for 38.8% of the total revenue of Arris. Loss of any of these customers would materially impact the company's top-line growth.
Meanwhile, the acquisition of the Home business division of Motorola mobility, a subsidiary of Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG-Free Report), has placed Arris as the leading player in the broadband DOCSIS 3.0 CPE market. In the second quarter of 2013, the CPE segment of Arris generated $663 million of total revenue, up by a whopping 344% year over year. The company stated that 90% of its total CPE shipment was for the DOCSIS 3.0 network.
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