For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – May 03, 2017 –Zacks Equity Research Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL – Free Report ) as the Bull of the Day, Boston Beer Company (NYSE: SAM – Free Report ) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL – Free Report ) and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD – Free Report ). Here is a synopsis of all four stocks: Bull of the Day : For many investors, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL – Free Report )/Google has been the laggard for the frequently discussed ‘FANG stocks’ group. The other companies in the group, Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix, have stolen the limelight and largely left Alphabet/Google investors in the dust. However, if we look to the latest earnings report, it is clear that these trends may be coming to an end, and that Google’s time in the spotlight is at hand once again. GOOGL in Focus Alphabet’s first-quarter earnings beat expectations, and the company posted 28% growth year-over-year too. Revenues were also solid, driven by strength in Google Sites revenues, as well as strong sales in a number of their smaller divisions such as Google Play, hardware, and the cloud too. It is also worth noting that Alphabet’s year-over-year revenue gains in its ‘Other Bets’ segment—also known as its ‘Moonshot’ division—was up nearly 48% too. This area had been a sore spot in past reports, so the recent strength is definitely a good sign for investors. Shares were up after the report and the stock is now approaching $1,000/share. This represents a fresh high for Alphabet, but there is plenty of reason to think that the gains can continue if we look to recent earnings estimate revisions for the stock. Recent Revisions Investors have seen estimates soar for GOOGL stock in the past week, as we have seen nine estimates go higher in the past week compared to zero lower. We have seen a similar trend for the next year time frame, and the current quarter is running at an 8:1 ratio of increases to decreases as well. The magnitude of these increases has also been impressive, as the consensus estimate has increased by over 5% for the current quarter and the current year in just the past week. Plus, the Earnings ESP for the stock—which represents the most accurate estimate vs. the broad consensus—is positive which suggests that the most recent estimates are even more impressive, and could continue to pull the consensus higher as older estimates fall off the radar. Bear of the Day : Although the craft beer market has seen incredible growth, the shine has started to come off some of the bigger names in this market. Take Boston Beer Company (SAM), the maker of Sam Adams, for example. The company was a market darling for quite some time, and easily the face of the craft beer movement too. However, as more entrants have moved into the market, and as some have called into question if Boston Beer can still call itself a craft brewer, the growth rate for SAM has stalled out. So, although it pains me—as someone born and raised in Massachusetts—to write up this bear of the day on Boston Beer Company (NYSE:SAM – Free Report ), it is a clear candidate for this title thanks to some of its sluggish metrics in a number of important areas. Recent Estimates Although SAM demolished estimates in its most recent earnings report, the company still posted a huge EPS slump when compared to the year ago period. Additionally, revenues were also sharply lower on a year-over-year basis, while gross margins also struggled when compared to a year ago as well. And although guidance was reasonable, analysts don’t seem to be buying SAM’s ability to deliver as of late. Instead, analysts have been slashing earnings estimates for SAM stock, pushing the near term trend lower for this brewer. Estimates for the current year have fallen from $6.36/share down to $5.33/share for the current year in the past ninety days, while we have seen a similarly sluggish trend for the next year time frame too. But if that wasn’t enough, the most accurate estimate for SAM in this year is just $4.80/share, a level that is roughly 10% lower than the consensus estimate, and close to 25% lower than the consensus from 90 days ago. Additional content: Apple Sells Fewer iPhones, Gilead Misses Sales Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report ) shares are falling more than 1% in after-market trading following its fiscal Q2 earnings report released after Tuesday's closing bell. Though the earnings per share of $2.10 beat the Zacks consensues estimate by 8 cents, somewhat disappointing sales -- especially in regard to iPhone 7 shipments in the quarter -- are taking the stock down after peaking at another all-time high earlier today. iPhone shipments of 50.8 million was below the 52.5 million analysts had been looking for, as well as down year over year from 51.2 million in Q2 2016.Mac sales were right in-line at 4.2 million, but iPads were also down -- 8.9 million units shipped in the quarter from the 9.6 million expected. That said, the company did raise its dividend yield more than 10% to 63 cents per share. And, of course, Apple sits on a simply gargantuan wad of cash, now up to $256.8 BILLION. But concerns over the Chinese market are weighing somerwhat on Apple shares, even as many anaylasts point out Apple's iPhone 8 is expected to be launched sometime this year, and one key reason for a dip in iPhone 7 sales in Q2 is that consumers are awaiting the new release before trading in their old unit. For more, click here. Biopharma major Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD – Free Report ) missed top-lines estimates for its Q1 report after the bell today. Earnings of $2.23 per share compares to the Zacks consensus estimate of $2.18, but quarterly sales of $6.5 billion missed the $6.66 billion we had expected. The company decided to keep its full-year 2017 guidance intact. Gilead specializes in HIV/AIDS drugs as well as hepatitis-C, and is also the maker of Tamiflu. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company also has $34 billion in cash, so we imagine Gilead's conference call will discuss whether a new acquisition may be in order for the $89 billion market-cap drug maker. Shares are down more than 2% in after-market trading, and the company is down about 22% year over year. For more, click here. Get today’s Zacks #1 Stock of the Day with your free subscription to Profit from the Pros newsletter: About the Bull and Bear of the Day Every day, the analysts at Zacks Equity Research select two stocks that are likely to outperform (Bull) or underperform (Bear) the markets over the next 3-6 months. About Zacks Equity Research Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term. Continuous analyst coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Get the full Report on GOOGL - FREE Get the full Report on SAM - FREE Get the full Report on AAPL - FREE Get the full Report on GILD - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Re... 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Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report Boston Beer Company, Inc. (The) (SAM): Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research