The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Adobe, Microsoft, International Business Machines and Alphabet

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – November 22, 2024 – 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: Adobe ADBE, Microsoft MSFT, International Business Machines IBM and Alphabet GOOGL.Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:3 Reasons to Buy Adobe Stock Despite -19% SelloffAdobe shares have declined 19.4% in the trailing 12 months, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s return of 32.9% and the Zacks Computer Software industry’s appreciation of 16.9%.ADBE suffers from a challenging macroeconomic environment, which has negatively impacted the Digital Media segment, and intensifying competition in the generative AI (Gen AI) space.However, Adobe’s prospects are expected to benefit from a strong demand for its creative products. Its Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud products have been driving top-line growth.ADBE’s strong positioning in the digital content and marketing industry, backed by its robust cloud-enabled products and growing GenAI capabilities, has been boosting its business prospects.Rising subscription revenues and solid momentum across the mobile apps are major positives. Growth in emerging markets and robust online video creation demand remain tailwinds for Adobe.For the fourth quarter of 2024, Adobe expects net new Annual Recurring Revenues in the Digital Media segment to be $550 million. Subscription revenues of Digital Experience are anticipated between $1.23 billion and $1.25 billion.Expanding GenAI-Powered Portfolio Aids ADBE’s ProspectsAdobe is riding on the solid momentum in its family of creative, Gen AI models, namely Firefly. It has been used to generate 13 billion images since March 2023 and is seeing rapid adoption by leading brands and enterprises.Its unveiling of the Firefly Image 2 Model, Firefly Vector Model and Firefly Design Model to mark a significant advancement in its creative Gen AI model family, enhancing creative control, image quality and illustrator capabilities, is a major positive.Adobe recently introduced the new Firefly Video model, which is a positive. With Firefly innovations and integrations, ADBE has exceeded 12 billion generations since the launch of Firefly. This is marked as an important milestone.Enhanced AI Assistant to Boost ADBE’s CompetitivenessAdobe enhanced features of Acrobat AI Assistant to allow customers to ask questions, get insights, and create content from information across groups of PDFs and other document types, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and text files. It also introduced enhanced meeting transcript capabilities in AI Assistant.Adobe’s growing efforts to expand content creation in Adobe Acrobat are noteworthy. It integrated Adobe Firefly image generation into its Edit PDF workflows. It has optimized AI Assistant in Acrobat to generate content fit for presentations, emails and other forms of communication.Adobe also offers the Adobe Express Platform AI Assistant, which is capable of answering technical questions, automating tasks, simulating outcomes and generating audiences seamlessly.The launch of Generative Remove in Adobe Lightroom, a powerful Firefly-backed tool that helps remove unwanted objects from any photo in a single click in a non-destructive manner, is a plus.The introduction of Adobe Express for Enterprise, powered by Firefly Image Model 3, is driving the company’s momentum among various enterprises.Strong Clientele Drives ADBE’s GrowthA solid portfolio and differentiated approach to AI are attracting an expanding universe of customers across Adobe’s segments.International Business Machines is one of the notable customers leveraging Adobe Firefly.Adobe’s other key customer wins include Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, Home Depot, Dentsu, TD Bank, Newell Brands, Alphabet’s Google, MediaMonks, Meta Platforms, U.S. Navy, PepsiCo, Estee Lauder, Disney, RedBull, Amazon, KPMG, U.S. Treasury Department and Charles Schwab.These factors are expected to drive top-line growth. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, Adobe projects total revenues between $5.50 billion and $5.55 billion.Adobe expects Digital Media revenues between $4.09 billion and $4.12 billion. The Digital Experience segment’s revenues are expected between $1.36 billion and $1.38 billion.Adobe expects non-GAAP earnings between $4.63 per share and $4.68 per share.ADBE’s 2024 Estimate Revision Trend PositiveFor 2024, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $18.28 per share, up by a penny over the past 60 days. The figure indicates 13.75% year-over-year growth.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 revenues is pegged at $21.44 billion, suggesting 10.46% growth over 2023.The consensus mark for fourth-quarter fiscal 2024 earnings is currently pegged at $4.66 per share, unchanged over the past 60 days. The figure suggests 9.13% year-over-year growth.The consensus mark for fourth-quarter 2024 revenues is pegged at $5.54 billion, suggesting 9.71% year-over-year growth.Adobe Inc. price-consensus-chart | Adobe Inc. QuoteADBE Stock Trades at a PremiumHowever, Adobe stock is not so cheap, as the Value Score of D suggests a stretched valuation at this moment.In terms of the forward 12-month Price/Sales, ADBE is trading at 9.27X, higher than the industry’s 7.86X.ConclusionAdobe’s deepening GenAI focus and innovative GenAI-powered portfolio presents a compelling opportunity for investors. We believe ADBE’s strong growth prospect justifies its premium valuation.ADBE currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which implies that investors should start accumulating the stock right now. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.0 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +44.9%, +48.4% and +55.2% per year.Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.See Stocks Free >>Media ContactZacks Investment Research800-767-3771 ext. 9339support@zacks.comhttps://www.zacks.comPast 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.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.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 >>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 Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report Adobe Inc. (ADBE): Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks