Zacks' High Rank Value strategy highlights: Alfa Corp., Comm Bancorp, Inc., Commerce Group, Inc. and Energy East Corp

Business Wire, Feb 1, 2006

CHICAGO -- Many value investors look for stocks trading at Price/Earnings multiples below 15 and Price/Book multiples below 3. Combining these valuation measures with a Zacks Rank of #1 ("Strong Buy") or #2 ("Buy") helps to ensure that a stock is truly undervalued. The High Rank Value Profit Track strategy finds such bargains. This screen generated a 28.3% return in 2004 and has outperformed the S&P 500 for 4-1/2 consecutive years. Four stocks meeting this strategy's exclusive criteria are Alfa Corp. (Nasdaq:ALFA), Comm Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:CCBP), Commerce Group, Inc. (NYSE:CGI) and Energy East Corp. (NYSE:EAS). View the entire list of stocks for the High Rank Value Profit Track at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2136.

Here are details about four companies currently identified by the High Rank Value Profit Track:

Alfa Corp. (Nasdaq:ALFA) has an appealing valuation as indicated by its price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 14.40 and price-to-book (P/B) multiple of 1.84. In mid October, the company posted third-quarter earnings of 30 cents per share, beating last year's 24 cents and matching the consensus estimate. ALFA said its operating performance was driven by the property and casualty combined ratio, as well as the premium growth in its life company.

Comm Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:CCBP) has a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 14.98 and price-to-book (P/B) multiple of 1.56. The company recently reported fourth-quarter earnings of 72 cents per share. The result topped last year's 66 cents. CCBP mentioned that improved net interest income was the key factor leading to its strong earnings performance in 2005.

Commerce Group, Inc. (NYSE:CGI) is another good value play as evidenced by its price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 7.93 and price-to-book (P/B) multiple of 1.44. In late October, the insurance company reported third-quarter earnings that were ahead of analysts' estimates by about 5% and outperformed the previous year's result. Fourth-quarter results will be available later this week.

Energy East Corp. (NYSE:EAS) released its third-quarter financial results in early November. The company's earnings were 14 cents per share, which topped the year prior total of 12 cents. EAS noted that the year-over-year increase was primarily due to higher margins on electric sales and an increase in the estimate of unbilled revenues. This stock offers a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 13.88 and a price-to-book (P/B) multiple of 1.22.

Discover all the current stocks currently on the High Rank Value Profit Track at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2137.

About Profit Tracks

What is a "Profit Track"? Each Profit Track is a successful stock picking strategy with proven results through the Bear Market of 2001-2002 and the Bull run started in 2003. On Zacks.com we have created these nine unique screens to offer investors great strategies to potentially outperform the market in the years ahead. In 2004, the Upgrades and Revisions strategy was the top performing Profit Track with a return of 55.7% followed by the Low Price Stocks screen with a 54.8% return. To see all nine strategies along with philosophy, past performance, and current stocks, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=1838

All the Profit Track strategies were created and backtested using the Research Wizard software from Zacks Investment Research. If you like this screening strategy, but want to narrow down the list of stocks and even improve the performance, then you should start a free trial to this powerful stock picking tool. Learn more about the Research Wizard free trial offer and our new special report "Top 10 Stock Screening Strategies" at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2156

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 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 for a free subscription to the Profit from the Pros newsletter at http://at.zacks.com/?id=1841

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.

(a) The S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks selected by Standard and Poor's. The S&P 500 includes the reinvestment of all dividends, no transaction costs, and represents the gross returns before management fees.

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.