Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks: Stanley Works, Parker Hannafin, Texas Instruments, UnumProvident, and Boise Cascade

Business Wire, Oct 19, 2004

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the October 19 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Stanley Works (NYSE:SWK), Parker Hannafin (NYSE:PH), Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), UnumProvident (NYSE:UNM), and Boise Cascade (NYSE:BCC). Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks is just one of the many free market commentaries written every day at www.SchaeffersResearch.com - the home of Bernie Schaeffer and Schaeffer's Investment Research. For additional information about this report or to have it delivered to you free via email every day click on the following link. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRSHS1M&PAGE=1.

Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Tuesday, October 19, 2004:

A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX Hot Stocks" column. Each afternoon immediately prior to the close, we will provide a list of the day's top-20 performing stocks in the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1104.71) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the shares.

NOTE: Stocks trading under $5 per share have been eliminated from this listing of the top-20 and bottom-20 performing stocks.

Stanley Works (NYSE:SWK) has surged to the top of the hot stocks list today after upping its 2004 earnings target. SWK also announced earnings of 76 cents per share, well ahead of last year's third-quarter earnings of 46 cents per share. The consensus estimate for the toolmaker's earnings was 71 cents per share. Directly responsible for this increase was a six-percent jump in consumer products sales and a 40-percent jump in security solutions sales. SWK also stated that it expects earnings of 70 cents per share for the fourth quarter, slightly below the Street's expectation for a 72-cent profit.

Following SWK to the top of the list, we have Parker Hannafin (NYSE:PH). The manufacturer announced first-quarter net income of $1.11 per share. This comes in well ahead of both last year's earnings (48 cents per share) and the consensus estimate of a profit of 83 cents per share. PH has gained nearly eight percent in trading action today.

Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) has made a late rally to climb up the hot stocks chart. Last night, TXN reported third-quarter earnings of 32 cents per share, well ahead of the Street's expected 27 cents per share. The company attributes these gains to strong sales of its wireless chips, strong enough to offset high inventories in the supply chain concerning analog demand. For the fourth quarter, TXN reported that it sees numbers in the range of a decline of six percent to gains of two percent.

UnumProvident (NYSE:UNM) is the latest company to succumb to the market pressure of Eliot Spitzer. The company announced that it is reviewing its broker-compensation policies thanks to the probe launched by New York's attorney general. UNM added that it will wait until the review is completed before entering any more compensation agreements. This action has been taken so the company does not project a conflict of interest between brokers and clients. UNM reported that it received government subpoenas concerning this situation and also announced that it will cooperate fully with any investigation.

Boise Cascade (NYSE:BCC) is the final company in today's hot stock discussion. The company has lost more than 11 percent today thanks to a lukewarm earnings outlook. This morning BCC announced third-quarter earnings of 61 cents per share, besting the consensus estimate by one cent per share. However, the company's stocks have come under fire this afternoon following the company's cautious announcement over its back-to-school season during a post-earnings conference call.

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top 20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=11486

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top 20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=11486

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Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com, is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method.>

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