Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day Highlights: Zoran Corporation, Landry's Restaurants, Home Depot and Boston Properties.

CHICAGO -- Zacks Equity Research highlights Zoran Corporation (Nasdaq:ZRAN) as the Bull of the Day and Landry's Restaurants (NYSE:LNY) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP). Full analysis of all four stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2676.

Here is a synopsis of all four stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Our Bull of the Day recommendation is for Zoran Corporation (Nasdaq:ZRAN), which develops and markets integrated circuits (ICs), integrated circuit cores and embedded software used by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in digital video and audio products for commercial and consumer markets. Zoran has done an excellent job of broadening its product portfolio recently through acquisitions. We feel as though the company's difficulties in DVD are behind it, and investors who are patient will be rewarded with a well-diversified company with exposure to high growth technology products.

Bear of the Day:

Our Bear of the Day recommendation is for Landry's Restaurants (NYSE:LNY). Net income decreased 5.8% in the first quarter, compared to the same quarter of the previous year. A significant increase in labor expense was the main cause for lower net income and decreased operating profit margin. Landry's recent purchase of the Golden Nugget casino adds the complication of operating in a new field for the company. The food service and hospitality portions of the casino's operations are similar to Landry's existing operations, however the gaming aspect is new to the company. We are maintaining our Sell rating.

Analyst Blog:

Home Depot's (NYSE:HD) first quarter results came in as expected with no surprises, and we maintain our Hold rating on the stock. We remain positive on Home Depot's strategy to update stores, pursue strategic acquisitions, and expand into new markets, all of which should foster its future growth. Nevertheless, intense competition, a maturing home improvement industry, and fewer details in its financial reports temper our enthusiasm for HD shares.

We are maintaining our Hold rating on shares of Boston Properties (NYSE:BXP). BXP has the most valuable and well-placed portfolio in the Zacks' office REIT universe. We do feel that the company is well positioned to benefit from increasing demand for its office properties in core markets, although we are still wary of BXP's high valuation and low dividend yield. The company reported 1st quarter results that comfortably beat our FFO estimates. Management, however, expects rent roll-downs on a portfolio-wide basis to continue their downward trend. San Francisco and Boston will still see the heaviest rent markdowns, but the New York office market remains strong. The company was added to the S&P 500 Index at the end of March.

Get the full analysis of all four 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.

About the Analyst Blog

Updated throughout every trading day, the Analyst Blog provides analysis from Zacks Equity Research about the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets.

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 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.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today by visiting http://at.zacks.com/?id=2677.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=2650.

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

(a)The Zacks Performance Rank performance is the total return of equal weighted simulated portfolios consisting of those stocks with the indicated Zacks Rank net of fees. Results reflect the reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. Simulated results do not represent actual trading and may not reflect the impact that economic and market factors might have had on decision-making if an adviser were actually managing a client's money.

(b)The S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks selected by Standard & Poor's. The S&P 500 includes the reinvestment of all dividends, no transaction costs, and represents the gross returns before management fees.

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.