All Star Analysts Portfolio Highlights: Carnival Corporation, Countrywide Financial, Intersil and Target.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 27, 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: Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL), Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE:CFC), Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ:ISIL) and Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT). 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:

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL) is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of 13 cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia. Even the leisure industry is getting in on the low-carb diet craze. It was recently announced that CCL will begin rolling out specially designated low-carb dining selections on dinner menus this week with a gradual fleetwide implementation over the next month. Of course the newest terrorist threat may have an impact on summer travelers, Carnival has managed to weather the storm over the last few years. In March, the company reported stronger than expected first quarter results. Net income was $203 million, or a diluted 25 cents per share, on revenues of $2.0 billion, compared to pro forma net income of $147 million for the same quarter in 2003. After a steep incline in share price the stock retracted a bit but looks to be sailing in the right direction now. This is why several top All Star analysts are willing to recommend CCL on their Focus Lists.

Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE:CFC) through its family of companies, provides mortgage banking and diversified financial services in domestic and international markets. The company is navigating its way through the difficult interest rate environment, but still April was a positive sign. Loan fundings rose +11% over last month to $36 billion due to March's strong ending pipeline. Year-to-date fundings reached $112 billion. The company's scalable production infrastructure enabled the company to generate loan origination volume during this latest mini refi-boom, increasing Countrywide's overall market share. In April the company also announced that earnings per diluted share increased +82% over the same quarter last year to $2.22 ($3.33 before adjustment to reflect April's 3-for-2 stock split). First quarter diluted earnings per share represent a +21% increase over the fourth quarter of 2003. Although the environment may be rocky in the near future, many of the top All Star analysts still believe in CFC and recommend investors take a closer look.

Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ:ISIL) is a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog solutions. ISIL reported revenue of $137.4 million in the first quarter of 2004, an improvement of 1% from the fourth quarter of 2003, and an increase of 19% year over year. In the first quarter, on a GAAP basis, net income was $27.3 million or 19 cents per diluted share. The company stated that based on continued strong end market demand for Intersil's products, 2004 is off to an excellent start. Intersil also announced during the first quarter, a definitive agreement to acquire Xicor, Inc., in a cash and stock transaction. With this acquisition, Intersil advances its position as a high performance analog leader, significantly expands its portfolio of general-purpose standard analog products and reinforces its strength in high growth end markets. Intersil has grown revenue sequentially nine out of the last ten quarters and is well positioned to continue this trend during 2004. New product introductions and strengthening end markets, have several top All Star analysts expecting this momentum to continue into 2004.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) operates large-store general merchandise formats, including discount stores, moderate-priced promotional and traditional department stores. Target reported diluted earnings per share for the first quarter ended May 1, 2004 of 48 cents, compared with 38 cents in the first quarter ended May 3, 2003. First quarter net earnings increased +25.4% to $438 million, compared with $349 million in 2003. Total revenues in the first quarter increased +12.3% to $11.587 billion from $10.322 billion in 2003, driven by a +14% revenue increase at Target Stores attributable to comparable store sales growth and the contribution from new store expansion. Comparable-store sales for the corporation in the first quarter 2004 increased +6.6%. Target will continue to remain focused on strengthening its offering to guests, achieving profitable market share growth, and creating substantial value to its shareholders. Along with retailer leader Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), several top retail All Star analysts are recommending Target as a buy.

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

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