CHICAGO, July 1, 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 Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS-Free Report), TELUS Corporation (NYSE:TU-Free Report), Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL-Free Report), Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE:RCI-Free Report) and BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE-Free Report).
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Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:
Discover Financial Raised to a Buy
On June 27, 2013, Zacks Investment Research upgraded Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS-Free Report) to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Why the Upgrade?
Discover Financial has been witnessing rising earnings estimates on the back of the recent initiatives to expand clientele, including interest rate cuts and strategic alliances. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for this direct banking and payment services company's 2013 earnings per share (EPS) stands at $4.78, up 7.25% over 2012.
The most recent among these measures was a cut down in the interest rates on Discover Financial's fixed rate student loans for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students. The company is now offering fixed rate loans with an interest rate beginning at 5.49%. The low rates should help attract more students toward Discover Financial's student loans, thus boosting the income of the Direct Banking segment of Discover Financial.
Additionally, Discover Financial inked agreements with Barclaycard Global Payment Acceptance, Japan Credit Bureau, Cadence Bank and Nigeria-based Interswitch Limited this year to boost card acceptances and transaction volume.
On Apr 23, 2013, Discover Financial reported first-quarter 2013 EPS of $1.33, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 18.75% and year-ago earnings by 9.9%. The positive momentum is expected to continue in the second quarter as well. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter of 2013 is $1.15, up 14.69% over the year-ago quarter.
Telus to Offer Advanced iPad
TELUS Corporation (NYSE:TU-Free Report) enhanced its product portfolio with the launch of iPad with added facilities. The company will offer the fourth generation iPad and iPad mini along with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. The iPads will be available in the company's stores across Canada.
The fourth generation iPad of Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL-Free Report) is designed with a 9.7-inch Retina display, new A6X chip and FaceTime HD camera. The iPad mini – 23% thinner and 53% lighter than the third generation device – displays a 7.9-inch Multi-Touch screen, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight camera and a battery that provides nearly 10 hours of service, depending on settings, usage and other factors.
Both the tablets operate on the world's most upgraded mobile operating system – iOS 6 – that has more than 200 new features. The gadgets are expected to render super-fast wireless performance with download speeds of up to 75 megabits per second (Mbps) at peak times and an expected average speed of 12–25 Mbps.
To make the offer more attractive and draw additional customers, Telus has clubbed an array of lucrative data plans that are available minus the hassle of any contract. This provides customers the option to activate or cancel the plans at any time.
There are a number of simple data and payment plans available for easy data sharing across several devices on the same account. Telus' Easy Tablet program enables customers to buy a new iPad at a low price and repay the balance amount via equal monthly installments.
We believe that Telus has strong prospects in the wireless segment backed by technology upgrades, expansion of the 4G LTE network plus high rollout of smartphones.
TELUS Corporation – which operates within the Canadian telecom industry along with Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE:RCI-Free Report) and BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE-Free Report) – currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
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