For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – January 21, 2019 – 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: Apple AAPL, Johnson & Johnson JNJ, Amazon AMZN and Alphabet’s GOOGL. Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog: Apple Expands in Healthcare, Partners Johnson & JohnsonApple recently partnered with Johnson & Johnson for a multi-year research study aimed at early detection of irregular heart conditions. Expected to be initiated in 2019, the study will examine users aged above 65in the United States.Notably, both the companies and third-party providers will not have access to patient-identifiable information, per Johnson.Janssen Pharmaceuticals, one of Johnson’s research and development (R&D) companies, will place its app on the Apple Watch 4 to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib) thereby helping with early stroke detection.Notably, Apple Watch 4, which primarily focuses on heart care, is the best and most accessible Apple Watch to date, per TechCrunch. The U.S. FDA cleared device has a built-in electrocardiogram (ECG) reader, enabling users to obtain a 30-second ECG reading to gain more insight into their health.Johnson & Johnson, which has a deep expertise in the study of cardiovascular diseases, is looking to reduce the number of people affected by heart problems by leveraging Apple’s technology. Notably, about 33 million people worldwide die of heart diseases, per Apple and Johnson & Johnson.Apple’s Healthcare InitiativesApple is trying to penetrate the healthcare market owing to the huge potential it promises. Notably, more than $7 trillion per year is spent globally on health care, which is almost 10% of global GDP.Apple’s software developer kits (SDKs) are helping developers and researchers conduct research trials to better study patient care. The open source ResearchKit and CareKit allow developers to create apps that work with the Apple ecosystem.While users perform tasks, iPhone sensors collect their data, with consent, to better monitor medical conditions and give deeper insights into their medical records. This is more relevant with extreme medical conditions like asthma attack/ epileptic seizure where the existing data can be used to predict a future attack.Apple is also bringing many features to its health application. The iPhone maker updated the Health Record section of its Health application by partnering with several healthcare communities.This update, which is based on FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) technology, enables users to easily access medical records, lab reports and other crucial information from multiple care providers like hospitals and clinics, physicians, and other relevant parties.Players like Amazon, Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft and Fitbit are showing interest in strengthening their presence in the healthcare industry too.Especially, Amazon’s focus on delivering quality services at affordable cost is disrupting the multi-trillion dollar healthcare industry.Nevertheless, Apple’s secure data practices coupled with its brand image might give it an edge in the healthcare market, where user data privacy is of utmost important.Apple currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Media ContactZacks Investment Research800-767-3771 ext. 9339support@zacks.com http://www.zacks.com Past 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 http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.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 Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Get Free Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Get Free Report Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Get Free Report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research