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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Apple and Intel - Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – May 27, 2015 – 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 Twitter (TWTR), Google (GOOGL), Yahoo (YHOO), Apple (AAPL) and Intel ( INTC).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Technology Stock Roundup

Highlights for last week included Twitter (TWTR) getting closer to Google (GOOGL) and Yahoo ( YHOO) shares slumping on IRS concerns before regaining some.

Yahoo Shares See-Saw

Yahoo shares went into a tailspin after a Bloomberg report quoting an IRS official said that the IRS intended to review spinoffs where the active business wasn’t significant compared to the value of assets being spun off. This seemed practically targeted at Yahoo’s Spinco, which includes its inconsequential small business and highly valuable Alibaba shares. So it was widely felt that the IRS wouldn’t forego the several billion dollars in revenue that Yahoo expected to save.

But Zimbalist (the IRS official) also said that requests that had already been filed would continue unhindered, so investors finally determined that Yahoo, which has already filed in the first quarter of 2015 and expects a fourth-quarter closure of the transaction (as indicated in the company’s response to the news report) wouldn’t be affected.

So shares regained most of what they had lost. But shareholders are also looking for a Yahoo Japan spinoff, which probably won’t be as advantageous now, since new proposals will be placed on hold and could be subject to new rules by the IRS.

Google-Twitter Deal

The companies announced some time back that tweets would start appearing in search results. But Google has been crawling Twitter since the two fell out back in 2011, so it’s important to understand what’s changed.

Crawling means that tweets are subject to SEO rules so they have to compete with other results for better placement. But now, Twitter is licensing its entire firehose of tweets (6,000 a minute), so Google is finding ways of making them very visible. What’s more, the tweet itself is visible on Google search, meaning closer integration.

While Twitter has a similar deal with Bing, Microsoft’s search engine has just a fraction of Google’s traffic, so it just isn’t doing the job for Twitter. Shareholders are up in arms about the stagnating user growth and appear less inclined to accept positive management commentary about non-member exposure and their relevance to Twitter. But this arrangement could just change their minds.

Since most news and media events break on Twitter first, this adds a nice real-time element to Google’s search results. Still, the placement tweets are getting on Google search seem to indicate a deeper interest on Google’s part (there is apparently no ad revenue-sharing arrangement between the two).

It’s almost as if Google is acquiring Twitter in stages because the last time they were together, it got its fingers burnt. At the time, a lack of trust between the two led Twitter to end the agreement and Google had to close down its Real Time Search Engine service that was based on input from Twitter. The integration is live on mobile at the moment but will also be available on desktops soon.

Google to Simplify Buying with Buy Button

Google Shopping for mobile just got a little easier, according to the WSJ, which quoted unidentified sources saying that the search engine will soon be displaying buy buttons next to the PLAs.

Clicking on the button will take the user to a branded page where they can store payment information and complete the sale. The simplicity will presumably close more sales, but Google is also pacifying retailers fearing loss of direct contact with customers. It promises to collect nothing except click-based revenue and says that advertising campaigns will continue as before, so customer information will be passed on.

Payment information won’t be passed on, which is where dependence on Google could increase and its Wallet could play a bigger role.

Apple Plans to Create Global Command Center : The Arizona-based facility was one of GTAT’s, which Apple (AAPL) promised to convert to a data center some time back. It appears that the iPhone maker is planning to hire 300 to 500 people to run the center, which will be powered entirely by green energy. Manufacturing starts next year.

Intel HQ Gets Wind Turbines : Intel (INTC) CEO Brian Krzanich has started a wind power project on the roof of Intel’s headquarters. The company is currently in the process of installing 58 microturbines in its own attempt to generate and consumer green energy.

Intel Haifa Lab : Intel is building IoT labs across the world that will carry out IoT R&D while also partnering with local startups to build IoT products. The latest of these was in Haifa, Israel. Intel already has other such centers in Munich, Stockholm, Istanbul and Swindon (UK).

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TWITTER INC (TWTR): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
GOOGLE INC-CL A (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
YAHOO! INC (YHOO): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
INTEL CORP (INTC): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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