All Star Analysts Portfolio highlights: Aflac, Amgen, BJ Services Company and Harrah's Entertainment.CHICAGO -- Zacks.com just released its latest additions and deletions to its proprietary All Star Analyst portfolio. Members on this exclusive list include Aflac, Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AFL AFL: see American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. ), Amgen (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 :AMGN), BJ Services Company BJ Services Company (NYSE: BJS) is a Fortune 500 oil and gas equipment and services company with its headquarters located in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1872 as the Byron Jackson Company by inventor Byron Jackson. (NYSE:BJS Noun 1. BJS - the agency in the Department of Justice that is the primary source of criminal justice statistics for federal and local policy makers Bureau of Justice Statistics ) and Harrah's Entertainment Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET) is a gaming corporation that owns and operates casinos, hotels, and six golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues around $7.11 billion. , Inc. (NYSE:HET). View the entire list of stocks on the All Star Analyst portfolio at http://at.zacks.com/?id=510 This exclusive portfolio represents all stocks with a Strong Buy rating from at least four analysts with a 5-Star All Star ranking. These are the brokerage analysts whose stock recommendations proved to be the most profitable for investors. Since July 2002, this portfolio has generated an annualized annualized Of or relating to a variable that has been mathematically converted to a yearly rate. Inflation and interest rates are generally annualized since it is on this basis that these two variables are ordinarily stated and compared. return of 11.63%, exceeding the S&P 500 by a margin of more than 24%. Here is a synopsis of why these stocks are in the All Star Analysts Portfolio: Aflac, Inc. (NYSE:AFL) remains one of the All Stars' favorite names in the insurance industry. Late last month, the company posted first quarter operating earnings Operating Earnings Profits after subtracting expenses such as marketing, cost of goods sold, administration and general operating costs from revenue. Notes: Tax and interest expenses are not subtracted - operating earnings are synonymous with EBIT (earnings before of 72 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. , which bettered the consensus by almost 3%. The result also advanced 9.1% year-over-year from 66 cents. Total revenues were unchanged at $3.6 billion, reflecting a weaker yen to the dollar. Thanks to the solid first quarter numbers, Aflac is optimistic about achieving its financial objectives for the year. Its goal for 2006 is an operating earnings per share advance of 15%, excluding foreign currency translation. Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) reported first quarter total revenue of $3.2 billion in mid-April, which fell short of Wall Street expectations. Nevertheless, the result improved 14% from the first quarter 2005, as the biotechnology giant got a good start to 2006. Adjusted earnings per share in the quarter reached 91 cents, advancing 26% from 72 cents a year earlier. The result also eclipsed the consensus by more than 3%. Looking forward, Amgen raised the lower end of its guidance for the year and now expects adjusted earnings per share between $3.60 and $3.70. BJ Services Company (NYSE:BJS) is a leading provider of pressure pumping and other oilfield services to the petroleum industry. Late last month, the company reported fiscal second quarter earnings per share of 62 cents on consolidated revenue of approximately $1.08 billion. That earnings result beat the consensus by almost 17% and improved from the prior year's performance of 33 cents. Revenue jumped 36% from $795.9 million. The company attributed its performance to activity increases in all reporting segments and price improvement. BJ Services, which remains a favorite with the All Stars, expects earnings per share of between $2.30 and $2.35 for fiscal 2006 on a revenue increase of 30% to 32%. Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. The company recently reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.02 for the first quarter, which advanced on a year-over-year basis and also beat the consensus by almost 11%. Revenues jumped to a record $2.4 billion. The company said its solid results were driven by contribution from Caesars Entertainment Caesars Entertainment, Inc. is a Las Vegas, Nevada based business that was the largest owner, operator and developer of hotels and casinos throughout the world. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment it was part of the Hilton Hotels chain and was spun off from , Inc., properties acquired in June 2005 and increased visitation and spending by members of the its customer-loyalty program. Same-store sales Same-store sales is a business term which refers to the revenue generated by one of a retail chain's specific outlets during a certain period of time (often a fiscal quarter or a particular shopping season), compared to an identical period in the past, usually in the previous year. at properties operated by Harrah's for more than 12 months increased 10.8%. Discover all the current All Star Analyst rankings and top analyst recommendations at http://at.zacks.com/?id=511 About Zacks All Star Analyst Survey To learn which brokerage analysts are the best in their field and what stocks they're recommending today, see 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://at.zacks.com/?id=512 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. Register for a free subscription at http://at.zacks.com/?id=513 About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research Zacks Investment Research A firm that compiles earnings estimates and brokerage firm investment recommendations for thousands of publicly traded firms. , Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros http://at.zacks.com/?id=514 Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. (a) The S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks selected by Standard and Poor's Noun 1. Standard and Poor's - a broadly based stock market index Standard and Poor's Index . The S&P 500 includes the reinvestment of all dividends, no transaction costs Transaction Costs Costs incurred when buying or selling securities. These include brokers' commissions and spreads (the difference between the price the dealer paid for a security and the price they can sell it). , and represents the gross returns before management fees. Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. |
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