Phillips 66 and Tyson Foods have been highlighted as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 10, 2026 – Zacks Equity Research shares Phillips 66 PSX as the Bull of the Day and Tyson Foods TSN as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Meta Platforms META, Spotify SPOT and Google GOOGL.

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks.

Bull of the Day:

Phillips 66 is a Zack Rank #1 (Strong Buy) that is a diversified and integrated energy company.

Shares are trading near the 52-week high, and the estimate revisions are rolling in since the company's second-quarter report showed a business that's still gaining momentum.

About the Company

Phillips 66 is an integrated downstream energy provider with operations spanning Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, Marketing and Specialties, and Renewable Fuels.

Refining remains the core of the business: the company runs 13 refineries, most of them in the United States, with combined capacity of roughly 2.2 million barrels per day. This makes PSX one of the largest refiners in the world.

That scale is paired with meaningful diversification. The midstream and chemicals exposure has increasingly become part of the bull case and has given the company a sturdier earnings base than pure-play refiners.

The company is valued at $100 billion and has a forward PE of 11. The stock has Zacks Style Scores of "B" in Value, "A" in Growth, and "C" in Momentum.

A Blowout Quarter

The headline number from the early August report was adjusted earnings of $9.41 per share against a Street estimate of $7.68, a beat of nearly 23%. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $5.89 billion versus $1.23 billion in the first quarter, and crude capacity utilization improved to 96%.

On the call, the CEO credited the quarter to strong operations and the strength of the integrated portfolio, with refining benefiting from wider market crack spreads and favorable mark-to-market impacts while midstream, chemicals, marketing and specialties, and renewable fuels all chipped in. The board backed that up by authorizing an additional $10 billion in share buybacks, roughly 11% of the company's market cap.

Phillips 66 is also reportedly exploring, alongside Shell, a sale of their stakes in the Explorer Pipeline, a deal that press reports have pegged near a $3.5 billion valuation. Energy Transfer and MPLX could reportedly join the sale process depending on the level of interest. Any transaction would add another lever for debt reduction on top of the balance sheet progress already underway.

Balance Sheet and Guidance

Management expects year-end net debt below $16 billion and believes it can hit its longer-term $17 billion total-debt target ahead of the original 2027 deadline, with a subsequent goal of $13.5 to $14 billion in net debt. The company plans to return more than half of operating cash flow, excluding working capital, to shareholders in the back half of the year.

For the third quarter, guidance calls for refining crude utilization in the mid-90% range, chemicals utilization in the low 90s, turnaround expense of $100 million to $120 million, and corporate costs of $325 million to $350 million.

Management pointed to roughly 7 million barrels per day of offline Asian and Middle Eastern refining capacity and 1.4 million barrels per day still out in Russia, alongside low global inventories. Those supply gaps are why the company believes the current refining margin strength could persist through 2027 rather than fade quickly the way the 2022 spike did.

Analyst Estimates Are Soaring

The estimate revision trend backs up the optimism from the call. Over just the past 60 days, the current-year consensus EPS estimate has jumped from $18.23 to $24.07, or 32%. Next-year estimates have climbed from $18.47 to $22.12, a still steady jump of 19%

All of the revisions over both the last 30 and 60 days have gone in one direction: up. That kind of one-sided agreement among analysts, combined with the magnitude of the increases, is a setup that tends to precede continued outperformance.

Sell-side price targets have followed suit. UBS reiterated its Buy rating and raised its target to $300 from $235, TD Cowen reiterated Buy at $255, and Evercore ISI bumped its Outperform target to $220 from $200. Wells Fargo raised its target to $335 from $239 while maintaining an Overweight rating.

Not every desk is fully on board with the valuation, however: Piper Sandler lifted its target to $264 but kept a Neutral rating, and Barclays nudged its target to $216 while staying at Equal Weight. This is a reminder that the stock's sharp run has some analysts more focused on price than on the underlying earnings trend.

The Technical Take

The chart looks more like a tech stock than an energy name, but considering what we talked about above, the move to the upside continues. The stock could be due for a pullback, but these should be viewed as opportunities.

Let’s take a look at possible entry points for those that don’t like buying all-time highs:

21-Day Moving Average (MA): $241

50-Day MA: $216

200-Day MA: $172

Fibonacci retracement (June lows to Highs): $201(61.8%)-$212 (50% retrace)

PSX moves in lockstep with oil, so as long as the current geopolitical climate stays volatile, it will be hard to get a solid entry. Investors interested in the stock must watch the price action closely and pounce on any buy the dip opportunity that comes.

In Summary

The Phillips 66 chart is starting to make some tech bulls jealous. The stocks outperformance and strong fundamentals continue to attract new investors and as long as oil stays elevated, the momentum should continue.

A record quarter, a Zacks Rank #1, and an estimate revision trend that's still accelerating gives the move real fundamental backing rather than just hype. Add in an aggressive buyback authorization, accelerated debt paydown, and a potential Explorer Pipeline sale still to be priced in, and there's a case for more room to run. 

Bear of the Day:

Tyson Foods, a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), is the biggest U.S. chicken company. It produces, distributes and markets chicken, beef and pork, as well as prepared foods.

The company just gave investors a fresh reason for caution, and the timing couldn't be worse. Days after cutting guidance on brutal beef margins, the government moved to flood the market with cheaper imported beef, adding a policy headache on top of an already ugly cattle cycle.

With the stock trading at 52-week lows and the fundamentals moving the wrong way, investors should take caution heading into the end of the year.

About the Company

Tyson is one of the largest protein producers in the country, with Beef, Chicken, Pork, and Prepared Foods segments. Chicken has been the bright spot lately, benefiting from a growing value-added mix and strong customer partnerships, but Beef has turned into a drag weighing down the whole story.

The company is valued at $18 billion and has a forward PE of 14. The stock has Zacks Style Scores of "B" in Value, "C" in Growth, and "C" in Momentum.

The Guidance Cut

On September 3, Tyson lowered its fiscal 2026 outlook, trimming revenue growth guidance to 1.5% to 2.0% from 2.5% to 3.5%. The company also cut adjusted operating income guidance to a range of $1.85 billion to $2.05 billion from $2.1 billion to $2.3 billion.

Management pointed to intensifying margin compression in Beef amid one of the most severe cattle shortages in U.S. history, along with growing consumer caution around discretionary spending. CEO Donnie King said the company is restructuring its Beef network around three strategically located facilities to lower costs, though those benefits aren't expected to show up until fiscal 2027.

Cheap Imports Add to the Pressure

The margin problem became another obstacle after the Trump administration authorized an additional 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings to enter the country without above-quota tariffs for 90 days. This move is explicitly aimed at pushing ground beef prices roughly 25% below current market levels.

The window is expected to run into late November, and cattle-state lawmakers have pushed back hard, arguing the added supply could pressure domestic cattle prices even further while the U.S. herd remains historically tight.

Separately, the administration also floated giving ranchers and farmers the right to process their own beef, framed as an effort to break up the dominance of the largest meatpackers, of which Tyson is one. Officials have said the import measure is temporary, but for a company already fighting a supply-driven cost problem, it's one more variable working against margin recovery in the near term.

Estimates Moving Lower

Analysts are dropping their numbers, with the current-quarter EPS estimate falling from $1.21 ninety days ago to $0.99 today. The current-year estimate has dropped from $4.14 to $3.82. Next year's estimate has slipped as well, going from $4.68 to $4.27, or 9%.

Revisions have skewed negative across the board over the last 60 days, with far more analysts cutting numbers than raising them. This is a pattern that typically weighs on shares over the near term.

The guidance cut has some price targets coming down, even where ratings held steady. Goldman Sachs kept its Buy rating but lowered its target to $67 from $77.

Technicals

The stock has recently fallen to lows not seen since 2025. This after a nice rally in the first half of this year that had the stock up 20% in 2026 in May. Now down roughly 10%, investors are left wondering if a larger bleed is to come.

Looking at the moving averages, those are currently well above current price and range $56-$61. That area should be a large zone of resistance into the end of the year.

Last year's low of $50.70 is what to watch. If that is taken out, the $50 psychology level is likely gone as well. This leaves the $45 level which was supported in 2020 and 2023. Investors might look to nibble there if it shows support, but at current levels, the upside seems limited.

In Summary

Tyson is caught between a historic cattle shortage and a policy shift designed to bring meat prices down, a combination that's hard for Beef margins to fight in the near term.

With estimates still moving lower and the import window running through the fall, the path of least resistance for the stock looks lower. 

Additional content:

3 Reasons Meta Has Turned the Corner

One of the biggest headwinds for Meta Platforms’ stock has been a massive, multi-year bipartisan lawsuit that accused the company of knowingly deploying addictive and harmful product features on its social media platforms. The lawsuit, which included 47 state attorneys general, Washington, D.C., and several U.S. territories, accused Meta of harmful practices that induced addictive behavior, such as algorithmic feeds that drove endless “doom scrolling” and constant push notifications that harmed the mental health of teenagers, children, and young adults.

Because state consumer protection laws allow states to seek civil monetary penalties for each violation, the lawsuit was initially seeking up to a staggering $1.4 trillion. However, in late August, Meta reached a settlement that included algorithm changes, enhanced age verification, and daily screen time caps on Facebook and Instagram for teen accounts. Meta also agreed to an $18 billion payout over ten years. Not only was the settlement far less than initially feared, but investors can also now put this bearish headwind in the rear-view mirror.

Meta Muse's Strong Debut

Meta Muse is Meta’s autonomous personal artificial intelligence agent launched on September 8, 2026. Muse is an agentic AI platform that can perform real-world tasks on the user’s behalf while operating in the background across connected apps. Muse can perform tasks such as online shopping, travel booking, sending emails, and filling out complex forms. Muse can also convert Instagram reels such as recipes into actionable grocery lists.

Additionally, Muse integrates with several popular services, including Spotify, Google Gmail, and OpenTable. Wednesday, Meta shares spiked after the company said Muse usage has “blown way past our projections,” with users engaging 10x more than its test cohorts. Muse also reached the top 5 in the App Store in under 24 hours, proving that Meta’s consumer AI push is beginning to bear fruit.

Meta Earnings Growth Returns

In 2025, Meta’s annual earnings growth slowed for the first time in three years. However, Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest a return to annual earnings growth in 2026 and 2027.

Bottom Line

After a successful agentic AI debut and a favorable, high-stakes multi-year legal settlement, Meta Platforms has finally turned the corner. With core regulatory risks now in the rearview mirror and new revenue catalysts taking hold, Meta is well-positioned to restore earnings growth and reinforce its technology leadership role.

Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.

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Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.

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