For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – January 11, 2018 – Zacks Equity Research highlights Micron Technology MU as the Bull of the Day and Criteo S.A. CRTO as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on AppFolio, Inc. APPF, Splunk Inc. SPLK and Microsoft Corporation MSFT.

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Micron Technology, a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products.



Recent Earnings Data



The company reported Q1 18 earnings results on December 19th where they beat both top and bottom line expectations for the third consecutive quarter. Revenues were up +71% YoY while earnings improved by +760% due to sustained high demand, and improved memory pricing. Further, MU saw gross margins increase to 55.1%, up from 50.7% in the previous quarter. To add to this positive news, management commented that its Taiwan facility (back end test and assembly) would produce meaningful output by the end of FY 18. This will help the company meet the high demand for its products, and increase overall revenues. Most importantly, management boosted revenue guidance for Q2 18 to a range between $6.8-7.2 billion, well above the consensus estimate of $6.2 billion.



Management’s Take



According to Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO, “Micron's strong results were driven by double-digit sequential revenue growth in mobile, server and SSD applications, with expanded gross margins and improved profitability. We are making solid progress on our strategic priorities to drive cost competitiveness, deploy high value solutions and strengthen our balance sheet. We believe these actions will position Micron to benefit from the broad demand trends ahead of us."

Bear of the Day:

Criteo S.A., a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), is a global technology company that specializes in performance display advertising. The Company offers clients a range of solutions such as click per cost, online banner displays, user optimization, data security, and search management tools to control campaign costs. It serves companies in the online retail, classifieds, and travel segments. Criteo SA is headquartered in Paris, France.



Recent Earnings Data

In early November, management announced Q3 17 earnings results where they missed the Zacks consensus earnings estimate, but beat the revenue estimate. The company saw revenues increase by 32% YoY, with revenues excluding Traffic Acquisition Costs (ex-TAC) improving by +33%. Adjusted EBITDA was up +45% with cash flows from operations rising by +43%. Lastly, net income gained +51% when compared to the previous year.

Management’s Take

According to Eric Eichmann, CEO, “Criteo Commerce Marketing Ecosystem is seeing very positive acceptance from chief marketing officers worldwide. Our open ecosystem approach brings large opportunities for us." The company’s CFO, Benoit Fouilland, stated, "Our solid Q3 results and increased profitability outlook for 2017 highlight the strengths of our business. We are confident in our position and growth prospects."

Additional content:

3 Cloud Stocks to Buy Right Now

In a matter of just a few years, “the Cloud” has evolved from the new feature that your grandmother just can’t quite seem to understand to one of the main factors driving growth in the technology sector. Cloud computing is now an essential focus for software-related companies, and cloud stocks have piqued the interest of many tech-focused investors.

New technologies and changing consumer behavior have changed the shape of the technology landscape, and an industry that was once centered on the personal computer has adapted to survive in the world of mobile computing and the Cloud. The markets have been paying attention, and some of the best tech stocks have been those that are either primarily cloud-based companies, or those that have shown growth in their cloud operations.

With this in mind, we’ve highlighted three stocks that are not only showing strong cloud-related activity, but also strong fundamental metrics. Check out these three cloud stocks to buy right now:

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