All Star Analysts Portfolio Highlights: Applebee's, Bank of America, Jabil Circuit, and Microsoft.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2004

Zacks.com just released its latest additions and deletions to the coveted All Star Analyst portfolio. This exclusive portfolio represents all stocks with a Strong Buy rating from at least five analysts with a 5 Star All Star ranking. These are the brokerage analysts whose stock recommendations proved to be the most profitable for investors. In 2003 this portfolio gained +46.6% nearly doubling the rise of the S&P 500. The members on the exclusive list are: Applebee's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:APPB), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC), Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE:JBL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). View the entire list of stocks on the All Star Analyst portfolio at http://at.zacks.com/?id=510

Here is a synopsis of why these stocks are on the All Star Analysts Portfolio:

Applebee's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:APPB) develops, franchises and operates restaurants under the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar brand, the largest casual dining concept in the world. Applebee's reported record net earnings of $29.5 million, or 52 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter ended March 28, 2004. This represents an increase in diluted earnings per share of +21% as compared to 43 cents per share for the first quarter of 2003. System-wide comparable sales for the first quarter of 2004 increased +8.2%, the 23rd consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth. Several All Star analysts were impressed with these results and have begun recommending APPB to their clients. The company stated that they continued to expand their market share during the quarter with system-wide sales growing by +14%. In addition, they have increased their company development plans, and now expect to open at least 32 company restaurants this year.

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) is the second largest banking company in the United States by market capitalization. More consumers are online to take care of their financial services, and Bank of America announced that it has a total of 10 million active subscribers and 4 million active bill payers. The company also reported first quarter earnings of $2.68 billion, or $1.83 per share (diluted), respectively, from $2.42 billion, or $1.59 per share, earned a year ago. These results do not reflect first quarter earnings for FleetBoston Financial Corporation, which the company acquired on April 1, 2004. The merger will create a nationwide bank with more consumer and business customers in the United States than any other financial institution. The company's ability to grow deposits and increase market share coupled with strong performance in mortgage, card and investment banking income and a significant improvement in credit quality drove these record earnings. The company stated that their emphasis was on improving the customer's banking experience and increasing their satisfaction level, which led to customers doing more business with BAC. Several top All Star analysts are currently recommending BAC as a solid investment.

Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE:JBL) is a worldwide independent provider of electronic manufacturing services. In March, Jabil Circuit posted strong results for its fiscal second quarter, including core earnings per share that jumped +50% from last year to 24 cents. That result also beat the consensus by more than +9%. In addition, revenue moved up +30% to $1.5 billion from $1.1 billion. The company stated that business strength across a broad range of customers and sectors substantially offset seasonal weakness in its consumer business. Several All Star analysts liked what they saw in the quarter with many of them raising expectations for the year ending August 2004 and listing JBL on their recommendation lists. As for the future, Jabil Circuit remains confident that its momentum will carry through its fiscal year. The company's focus for the rest of the year is to continuously improve its operational execution, satisfy customer requirements and deliver profitable growth.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for a multitude of computing devices. Microsoft software includes scalable operating systems for servers, personal computers, and intelligent devices; server applications for client/server environments; knowledge worker productivity applications; and software development tools. The company's online efforts include the MSN network of Internet products and services and alliances with companies involved with broadband access and various forms of digital interactivity. The software giant reported a solid fiscal third quarter performance recently, which included earnings per share of 34 cents, excluding items, on revenue of $9.18 billion. That earnings result surpassed the consensus by more than +21%, as revenue increased +17% from $7.84 billion. Microsoft stated that broad-based demand and solid execution across all businesses sparked the strong results for the quarter. Several All Star analysts have jumped on board this software giant believing there is still plenty of room to run.

Discover all the current All Star Analyst rankings and top analyst recommendations at http://at.zacks.com/?id=511

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