All Star Analysts Portfolio Highlights: Chico's, Jabil Circuit, Intel and The Sports Authority.

CHICAGO -- 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: Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE:CHS), Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE:JBL), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and The Sports Authority (NYSE:TSA). 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:

Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE:CHS) sells exclusively designed, private-label women's clothing and related accessories. Although some rather large retailers are already expecting to miss second quarter estimates, Chico's looks to be doing just fine. In late May the company announced record first quarter earnings. Net sales for the first quarter ended May 1, 2004, increased +52.0% to a record $257 million from $169 million for the first quarter ended May 3, 2003. Net income rose +52.6% to $36 million, or 40 cents per diluted share, compared to net income of $23 million, or 27 cents a diluted share, in the prior year's first quarter. Scott A. Edmonds, President and CEO, commented, "We are pleased to report that our efforts to target improved operating margins that began back in 2002 have been successful, with this quarter capping off four consecutive quarters with an increase in our operating margin over the prior year's same quarter." Consumers continue to spend, the trick is finding out where they are spending and buy that stock. Several top All Stars are recommending CHS after shopping the competition.

Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE:JBL) is a worldwide independent provider of electronic manufacturing services. In June, the company posted fiscal third quarter results which represented solid sequential performance as well as strong year-over-year performance in both revenue and core earnings. Jabil's third quarter of fiscal 2004 core earnings increased +39% to $53.1 million, compared to $38.2 million for the same period of fiscal 2003. Core earnings per share increased +37% to 26 cents per diluted share for the period, compared to 19 cents for the same period of fiscal 2003. Net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2004 increased to $40.1 million compared to $4.5 million for the same period of fiscal 2003. GAAP diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2004 were 19 cents compared to 2 cents for the same period of fiscal 2003. The growth will continue as guidance for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2004 indicated that it currently foresees revenue in a range of $1.60 to $1.65 billion and core earnings of 25 cents to 27 cents per diluted share, depending upon levels of production. With growth across the board, it is no wonder several top All Star analysts are recommending JBL.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is the world's largest chipmaker. The company supplies the computing and communications industries with chips, boards, and systems building blocks that are integral to computers, servers, and networking and communications products. Intel recently announced that it expects revenue for the second quarter to be between $8.0 billion and $8.2 billion, as compared to the previous range of $7.6 billion to $8.2 billion. Bolstered by improvement in worldwide IT spending, this industry leader previously reported year-over-year revenue and earnings growth in its first quarter. Revenue in the quarter reached $8.1 billion, which was up +20% from last year. Excluding items, its earnings per share result in the quarter marked a strong improvement over last year while also topping the consensus by more than +3%. The company said it is positioned well for continued growth thanks to the combination of these products in addition to new processors and platform innovations coming over the course of the year. Although the price is off its January highs, several All Star analysts still believe INTC is a great long-term investment.

The Sports Authority (NYSE:TSA) is one of the nation's largest full-line sporting goods retailers offering a comprehensive high-quality assortment of brand name sporting apparel and equipment at competitive prices. On August 4, 2003, Gart Sports Company and The Sports Authority, Inc. announced that they had completed a merger of equals. The results for the 13 weeks ended May 1, 2004 represent the performance of the consolidated company, while the year ago results reflect Gart Sports Company on a stand-alone basis. Net income for the first quarter was $4.1 million, or 15 cents per diluted share, including the effect of after-tax merger integration costs of $5.2 million, or 20 cents per diluted share. Excluding merger integration costs, net income for the first quarter was $9.3 million, or 35 cents per diluted share. Total sales for the 13 weeks ended May 1, 2004 were $572.0 million compared with $228.4 million in the prior year's first quarter as reported by the former Gart Sports Company on a stand-alone basis. Several top All Star analysts were pleased with their first quarter results given the on-going efforts to integrate the two companies. The strong gross margin performance delivered in the quarter combined with their ability to reduce inventories by approximately 1% versus the prior year look to be a step in the right direction.

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

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