Zacks Buy List Highlights: Eastman Chemical Company, Hutchinson Technology, Inc., D.R. Horton, Inc., and Intersil Corporation.

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com releases another list of stocks that are currently members of the coveted Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) List. The #1 Rank stocks highlighted today are Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) and Hutchinson Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTCH). Further, Zacks announced #2 Rankings (Buy) on two other widely held stocks: D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) and Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ:ISIL). To see the full Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) List, or the rank for any other stock, visit: http://at.zacks.com/?id=88

Stocks ranked #1 (Strong Buy) by Zacks have produced an average annual return of +32.8% 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%.

Here is a synopsis of why EMN and HTCH have a Zacks Rank of 1. Note that a #1 Strong Buy rating is applied to only 5% of all the stocks Zacks ranks:

Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) earnings estimates for the December 2005 year are up 44 cents, or about 9%, in the past month. In late April, Eastman Chemical posted the best quarter of earnings and revenue in its history, thanks to improvement in operating performance throughout the company. For the first quarter, the company reported earnings per share of $1.92, excluding items, marking a solid improvement of the previous year's 52 cents. It also topped the consensus by almost 55%. The company said that the quarter's results affirm the many actions taken over the last several years to improve its profitability. Eastman

Chemical will report its next quarterly results on July 28th.

Hutchinson Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTCH) will report its fiscal third quarter results on July 21st. In late April, the company posted a solid fiscal second quarter with net income of 51 cents per diluted share on sales of about $158 million. That earnings result marked a solid rise over the previous year's 33 cents and eclipsed the consensus by about 4%, while sales advanced on a year-over-year basis from $113.3 million. Hutchinson Technology stated that demand in the quarter again exceeded its initial expectations for the period, with shipment volumes growing progressively over the course of the quarter. Hutchinson also forecasted fiscal third quarter earnings per share that were above Wall Street expectations at the time. Earnings estimates for the year ending September 2005 are up 55 cents, or about 32%, over the past three months.

Here is a synopsis of why DHI and ISIL have a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). Note that a #2 Buy rating is applied to 15% of all the stocks ranked by Zacks:

D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) is scheduled to report its fiscal third quarter results on July 21st. Over the past three months, earnings estimates for the year ending September 2005 moved forward 29 cents, or approximately 8%. In April, D.R. Horton posted a strong fiscal second quarter performance, which included earnings per share of 92 cents that easily exceeded the year-ago total of 60 cents while also beating the consensus by 15%. Furthermore, consolidated revenue advanced 23% and homes closed advanced 8% to 10,601 homes from 9,823 homes. The company also raised its guidance for fiscal 2005.

Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ:ISIL) posted non-GAAP earnings of 12 cents per diluted share for its first quarter, which exceeded the consensus by about 9%. Revenue of $128.1 million declined on a year-over-year basis, but still topped Wall Street expectations. Intersil experienced sequential improvements in both non-GAAP earnings and revenue. Orders also grew over the fourth quarter as the company experienced strength across a broad set of its product families. The company believes its orders momentum, the acceptance of its new products and the strength from its design wins bode well for its second quarter results. Earnings estimates for the December 2005 year are up 5 cents, or about 9%, over the past three months.

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About the Zacks Rank

For over 16 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 +32.8%. 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 (+4.65% vs. +11.88%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

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