Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day Highlights: IBM Corporation, Align Technology, Zions Bancorporation, J.C. Penney and Nordstrom

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2676.

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull
of the Day:

As a result of its large non-US revenue base, IBM Corporation
(NYSE: IBM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating)
has been better insulated from the recent weakness in the U.S. economy
than many of its peers. IBM's Q109 results indicate its strong position
in emerging markets, which should continue to help drive growth.

Moreover, the company has focused on driving its bottom line through
cost cutting efforts. It re-affirmed EPS guidance for the full year of
2009 and 2010. Although, revenue is not expected to grow by much, we
expect margin improvements in 2009.

The company's long-term prospects look brighter as it maintains a strong
position in the software and services market. We maintain our Buy rating
on IBM shares and maintain our price target of $120.00.

Bear
of the Day:

Align Technology (Nasdaq: ALGN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating)
is engaged in the design, manufacture, and marketing of a proprietary
system, Invisalign, for the treatment of crooked teeth. The company's
business fundamentals are negatively affected by the current economic
turbulence.

As such, we expect revenue to decline in FY09. Furthermore, we think
that the earnings quality could become an issue as management finds it
difficult to meet growth targets.

We are recommending a Sell rating for this stock. We think that the
shares deserve to trade at 10% discount to the comparable mean. This
equates to a P/S multiple of approximately 2.0x and to a target price of
$8.80.

Latest Posts on the Zacks Analyst
Blog:

Fed Minutes: Signs of Improvement

The Fed revised its forecast for economic growth to reflect a
comparatively more optimistic outlook. The central bank expects real GDP
to "edge higher in the second half and then increase moderately next
year."

However, the Fed also warned that growth would be restrained over the
foreseeable future. It particularly cited financial services and housing
as sectors that "might well account for a smaller share of the economy
in coming years." This is not good news for companies like Zions
Bancorporation (Nasdaq: ZION),
target areas hardest hit by the housing bust.

Furthermore, the Fed predicted that the unemployment rate could continue
to rise into the early part of 2010. This would have a dampening effect
on consumer spending and would be a negative for retailers such as J.C.
Penney (NYSE: JCP | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating)
and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN).

Get the full analysis of all these stocks by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=2649.

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.

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SOURCE: Zacks.com

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312-265-9380 
Visit: www.zacks.com

For full details on J.C. Penney Company Inc (JCP) JCP. J.C. Penney Company Inc (JCP) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on J.C. Penney Company Inc (JCP) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

For full details on International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) IBM. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

For full details on Nordstrom Inc (JWN) JWN. Nordstrom Inc (JWN) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on Nordstrom Inc (JWN) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

For full details on Align Tech Inc (ALGN) ALGN. Align Tech Inc (ALGN) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on Align Tech Inc (ALGN) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

For full details on Zions Bancorporation (ZION) ZION. Zions Bancorporation (ZION) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on Zions Bancorporation (ZION) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.