All Star Analysts Portfolio Highlights: Citigroup, Dollar Tree Stores, Honeywell and Pacific Sunwear.Business Editors CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2003 Zacks.com just released its latest additions and deletions to the coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. 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 has gained +22.1% outpacing the +9.4% rise of S&P 500. The new members on the list are: Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :C), Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :DLTR DLTR Duke Law and Technology Review ) Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE:HON) and Pacific Sunwear Pacific Sunwear (also known as PacSun) is a shopping mall retail store that sells surfing and skateboarding clothing and accessories for teenagers and young adults. It was originally based in Newport Beach, California, United States. of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSUN). View the entire list of stocks on the All Star Analyst portfolio at http://asaportfolio.zacks.com Here is a synopsis of why these stocks are on the All Star Analysts Portfolio: Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C) is one of the most diversified financial The diversified financial services segment includes a range of consumer and commercially-oriented companies offering a wide variety of products and services, including various lending products (such as home equity loans and credit cards), insurance, and securities and investment institutions in the world, which is probably why several top All Star analysts recommend it as a long term Core Holding. The company has been going through a great deal this year, including the announced departure of chief executive Sandy Weill. However, the company's stock price is up over +50% since March lows. One of the reasons is the company's strong financials. Second-quarter profit rose +5%, driven by gains in its consumer banking and credit card businesses, and it boosted its dividend a whopping +75%. Citigroup said profit rose to $4.3 billion, or 83 cents per share Cents per share The amount of a mutual fund's dividend or capital gains distributions that a shareholder will receive for each share owned. , from $4.08 billion, or 78 cents per share, a year earlier, as consumer lending Consumer lending or consumer loans refers to any type of loan product that is not a mortgage; such as a car, boat, manufactured home, home equity loan, home equity line of credit, signature loan, signature line of credit, recreational vehicle, or Certificate of Deposit loans. income rose +18% to $2.3 billion. With investors coming back to the markets and companies making more mergers and acquisitions, Citigroup looks to be in a prime location. Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) is an operator of discount variety stores offering merchandise at a fixed price point of $1.00 or less. The nation's leading operator of single-price point dollar stores, reported second quarter 2003 earnings per share of 25 cents, which was a 19% increase compared to 21 cents in last year's fiscal second quarter. Sales for the fiscal second quarter were $626.0 million, also exceeding the company's original guidance of $575-590 million. Total sales increased +22.2% quarter-over-quarter, and comparable-store sales rose +5.1%. Sales for the first half of 2003 totaled $1.24 billion, a 21.5% increase from the first half of 2002. Entering the year, the company's guidance was for sales and earnings growth of at least +15%. Based on above-plan first-half results and the addition of Greenbacks, DLTR is raising its guidance. The company now expects sales and earnings growth to be at least +19% for fiscal 2003. Many top All Star analysts are jumping on the discount bandwagon and recommending DLTR. Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE:HON) is a diversified technology and manufacturing company. The company said that second-quarter earnings per share were 37 cents, which was in line with prior earnings guidance. Revenues of $5.7 billion were up +2% from the previous year, driven by +4% of foreign currency translation. The company said it expects its 2003 earnings to come in at the bottom of its forecast but is comfortable with earnings of $1.58 for the year. The second quarter also featured significant progress in each of their businesses. In addition to the $1.3 billion in new contracts announced at the Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, Paris-Le Bourget) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. It is held at Le Bourget airport near Paris, France every odd year, alternating both with the Farnborough International , Honeywell's Aerospace business received an order for Primus Epic integrated cockpits for 85 to 135 new Embraer regional jets purchased by US Airways airways Anatomy The 'pipes'–trachea, bronchi, bronchioles–through which air passes to and from the alveoli. See Small airways. . With this news, the board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of 18.75 cents per share on the company's outstanding common stock. The dividend was payable on September 10, 2003. Although it's quite early in the economic recovery, HON looks to be headed in the right directions since its lows in March. Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSUN) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries is a leading specialty retailer of everyday casual apparel, accessories and footwear designed to meet the needs of active teens and young adults. Earlier this month, PSUN reported that total sales for the four weeks of August of fiscal 2003 were $136.7 million, an increase of +24.0% over total sales of $110.2 million for the four weeks of August of fiscal 2002. Company same store sales Same Store Sales A statistic used in retail industry analysis. It compares sales of stores that have been open for a year or more. Notes: This statistic allows investors to determine what portion of new sales has come from sales growth and what portion from the opening of increased +15.6% for the comparable four-week period ended Aug. 30, 2003 with PacSun same store sales up +15.2% and d.e.m.o. same store sales up +20.3%. The company's back-to-school sales have been very strong with PacSun and d.e.m.o., both posting double digit Noun 1. double digit - a two-digit integer; from 10 to 99 integer, whole number - any of the natural numbers (positive or negative) or zero; "an integer is a number that is not a fraction" comparable store gains. Based upon August's results PSUN is optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op about the balance of 2003 and has increased their sales and earnings outlook. Third quarter earnings per share have been raised to 41 cents versus its previous level at 39 cents. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003, the company's same store sales guidance is now 5-6% and the earnings per share outlook is being increased a penny to 54 cents. The company also recently announced a three-for-two stock split that happened on September 5th. Several top All Star analysts are recommending PSUN as a bright spot among stocks. Discover all the current All Star Analyst rankings and top analyst recommendations at http://allstarrank.zacks.com About Zacks All Star Analyst Survey Do you want to know which brokerage analysts are the best in their field and what stocks they're recommending today? Find out with the Zacks All Star Analyst survey. This exclusive survey, created with Fortune Magazine, reveals the "Best-of-Breed" brokerage analysts. They are the select group of winners from the universe of brokerage analysts - the ones who consistently beat the street - the few you should be following now. Visit the Zacks All Star Survey to find the best analysts and their top stock recommendations at http://bestofbreed.zacks.com Top recommendations from All Star Analysts Highlighted in FREE Investment Newsletter Each week, Zacks.com highlights investment insight and favorite recommendations from All Star Analysts and other leading investment experts. This is all part of our FREE e-mail See Internet e-mail service. newsletter, "Profit from the Pros." The only way to get these powerful insights is with a FREE subscription to the "Profit from the Pros" investment newsletter. 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