Zacks.com Announces That the Following Companies Will Release Earnings This Week: Bed Bath & Beyond, Cintas, General Mills, KB Home and Oracle

Business Wire, Sept 20, 2005

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com releases its exclusive Weekly Earnings and Sector Update written by Charles Rotblut, Senior Market Analyst, Zacks.com. In addition, the following companies will report earnings this week: Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY), Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS), General Mills (NYSE:GIS), KB Home (NYSE:KBH) and Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL). To see this week's full report then visit: http://at.zacks.com/?id=105

This vital update provides investors with timely information regarding companies that will be reporting their earnings in the coming week, how companies' earnings faired the week prior, exclusive sector rankings, and earnings commentary. Below you will find a synopsis of this week's earnings commentary including estimates and the Zacks Rank for the previously mentioned companies.

Companies Making an Announcement This Week:

Ticker     Company Name         Date    EPS Estimate      ZacksRank(a)
------     ------------         ----    ------------      ------------
BBBY       Bed Bath & Beyond    9/21       .46                 3
CTAS       Cintas               9/21       .48                 3
GIS        General Mills        9/22       .56                 3
KBH        KB Home              9/22      2.41                 2
ORCL       Oracle               9/22       .14                 3

To see the complete Weekly Earnings and Sector Update with the entire list of companies reporting this week and sector rankings, click http://at.zacks.com/?id=106

Synopsis of Weekly Earnings and Sector Update by Charles Rotblut

The impact of the recent spike in energy prices has yet to be quantified. Much of the economic data that is presently being released reflects events before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The Philadelphia Fed's September survey suggested a slightly negative impact, but this is a regional survey and may have not covered a long enough period of time to truly show the implications of the storm.

The wildcard at this point is not so much third-quarter earnings, but rather fourth-quarter earnings. There are several reasons why this is the case. Hurricane season is not over. Although core inflation was stable in August, the recent spike in energy prices makes it harder for the FOMC to back off of its trend of raising interest rates. Heating bills will be elevated, but it winter could either be late and mild or early and harsh, the latter having negative implications for holiday shopping and travel.

While the fourth quarter remains questionable, the third quarter appears to be on track for continuing the trend of double-digit earnings growth. Offsetting lowered earnings guidance by many companies has been positive earnings revisions from within the Energy sector. Notably, oil-related companies account for three of the ten highest ranked industries.

(a) 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 143.5% annually ( 4.9% vs. 12%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

Truly taking advantage of the Zacks Rank requires the understanding of how it works. That's why we created the free special report, "Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions." Download your free copy now to prosper in the years to come by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=107

The Zacks Rank, and all of its recommendations, is created by Zacks Investment Research, Inc. Zacks.com displays the Zacks Rank with permission from Zacks Investment Research, Inc., on its web site for individual investors.

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