Zacks.com Announces That Bill Martin and Matt Ragas Highlight the Following Stocks: News Corp., Intermix Media, TheKnot.com, Target, and E-LOAN

Business Wire, Sept 12, 2005

CHICAGO -- Bill Martin and Matt Ragas, editors of the FindProfit newsletter, believe their portfolios are well positioned for the current Internet space takeover environment. Learn about News Corp. (NYSE:NWS), Intermix Media (AMEX:MIX), TheKnot.com (Nasdaq:KNOT), Target (NYSE:TGT), and E-LOAN (Nasdaq:EELN). Click here for the full story exclusively on Zacks.com: http://at.zacks.com/?id=84.

Highlights from the September 8 Featured Expert column by Bill Martin and Matt Ragas include:

News Corp. Makes Another 'Net Acquisition

'Net space consolidation continues, and Bill Martin and Matt Ragas are well positioned to continue to profit from it.

After bailing out of the Internet space four years ago, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NYSE:NWS) is coming back in a big way. The media company announced its third acquisition of a 'Net company in less than three months, saying this morning that it has agreed to buy online video game network IGN Entertainment for approximately $650 million in cash.

The acquisition of IGN follows NWS' $580 million cash acquisition of Intermix Media (AMEX:MIX) in July. Last month, NWS bought online sports information provider Scout Media for an undisclosed amount, and the company has reportedly been in talks to acquire privately held search technology provider Blinkx. A week before the MIX deal was made, NWS announced that it was launching a new online unit with the aim of combining the company's various online properties (FoxNews.com, FoxSports.com, Fox.com, etc.) under one umbrella. NWS CEO Rupert Murdoch said he is now committed to the online space and is willing to spend $2 billion on acquisitions, even though he pulled the plug on the company's News Digital Media online division in early 2001.

Even after a flurry of deals in the 'Net space over the past year, the sector has remained hot, thanks in no small part to Murdoch. TheKnot.com (Nasdaq:KNOT), for example, is rumored to be a takeover target, with no less than retail giant Target (NYSE:TGT) mentioned as the probable buyer. While Martin and Ragas do not invest in companies based on the probability of a buyout, they think their portfolios are well positioned for the current takeover environment, as evidenced by their recent success with E-LOAN (Nasdaq:EELN).

Read Bill Martin and Matt Ragas' complete commentary, discover more stocks, and receive additional daily updates by clicking: http://at.zacks.com/?id=85.

About Zacks Featured Experts

Successful investing requires professional advice from knowledgeable experts who can help investors achieve their financial goals in good markets and improve their portfolios, especially in bad ones. That is why Zacks Investment Research has assembled the best investment experts in the business to offer their powerful advisory newsletters on all the major investment topics: Stocks, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Options, Futures etc.

Additional recommendations from Zacks.com Featured Experts are highlighted in the free investment newsletter, Profit from the Pros. Each issue highlights several Featured Experts in this free e-mail newsletter. Register for a free subscription to "Profit from the Pros" at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=86.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 to compile, analyze, and distribute investment research to both institutional and individual investors. The guiding principle behind Zacks work is the belief that investment experts, such as brokerage analysts and investment newsletter writers, have superior knowledge about how to invest successfully. The goal is to unlock these pros' profitable insights for individual investors hard-pressed to find this valuable information in one source. A free subscription to "Profit from the Pros" weekly e-mail newsletter provides the best way to use these experts' insights for more profitable investing. Register now for a free subscription to the Profit from the Pros newsletter at http://at.zacks.com/?id=87.

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.

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.