Zacks Buy List Highlights: Atheros Communications, Inc., Nordson Corporation, Analogic Corporation, and Commercial Metals Company.

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com releases the latest list of Zacks Rank Buy Stocks. Everyday on Zacks.com, four stocks are selected based on how well they match the criteria for the four main schools of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum and Value. The four Zacks Rank Buy stocks highlighted today are Atheros Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHR), Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq:NDSN), Analogic Corporation (Nasdaq:ALOG), and Commercial Metals Company (NYSE:CMC).

Stocks ranked #1 (Strong Buy) by Zacks have produced an average annual return of +33% since inception in 1988. During the 2000-2002 bear market, Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained 43.8% while the S&P 500 tumbled 37.6%. To see the full Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) List, or the rank for any other stock, visit: http://at.zacks.com/?id=88

Here is a synopsis of today's Zacks Rank Buy Stocks:

Aggressive Growth - Atheros Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHR)

Atheros Communications is well positioned in the fast growing WLAN market. The company has met or exceeded analyst estimates for five consecutive quarters. In the most recent quarter, ATHR surprised by 57%, which caused a huge spike in the stock. Eight different analysts raised their numbers for 2006. Over the past 60 days, 2006 estimates have increased 44.4% to 52 cents per share.

Growth & Income - Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq:NDSN)

Nordson Corporation, a Zacks #1 Rank stock, recently announced record revenues, profits and earnings per share in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. Backlog at the end of the first quarter stood at approximately $100 million. The company has met or exceeded the Street's estimate in nine of the past 10 quarters. Earnings per share grew 16.5% over the past five years and are forecasted to grow 12.0% over the next 3-5 years. The company is currently yielding 1.4% and has a five-year average dividend yield of 2.0%.

Momentum - Analogic Corporation (Nasdaq:ALOG)

Analogic is breaking out of a six year trading range. For the momentum trader the key question was, "Did the one day explosion reflect all of the good news?" For the Momentum investor, yesterday's market action reflects that a new major uptrend may be forming. On Mar 22, 2006 ALOG again gapped higher and closed at a new historic high on very heavy trading volume. While yesterday's gap wasn't as significant as the Mar 9 earnings surprise gap, still the ability of this stock to continue to make new highs is impressive.

Value - Commercial Metals Company (NYSE:CMC)

Commercial Metals Company recently reported its strongest second quarter ever. Furthermore, it served as the second best quarter in the history of the firm. The company remains very optimistic for the third quarter and second half of fiscal 2006. Analysts' earnings estimates for fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2007 have been on the rise. CMC recently boosted it quarterly dividend by 66.7%. This Zacks #1 Rank stock has a price-to-book (P/B) multiple of 2.7.

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About the Zacks Rank

For over 17 years, the Zacks Rank has proven that "Earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices." Since inception in 1988, #1 Rank stocks have generated an average annual return of +33%. During the 2000-2002 bear market, Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained 43.8%, while the S&P 500 tumbled 37.6%. Also note that the Zacks Rank system has just as many Strong Sell recommendations (Rank #5) as Strong Buy recommendations (Rank #1). Since 1988, Zacks Rank #5 stocks have underperformed the S&P 500 by 155.5% annually (+4.6% vs. +11.8%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

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