Zacks Buy List Highlights: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc., Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co., Cohen & Steers, Inc. and American Safety Insurance Holdings, Ltd

Business Wire, Nov 28, 2006

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com releases the latest list of Zacks Rank Buy Stocks. Everyday on Zacks.com, four stocks are selected based on how well they match the criteria for the four main schools of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum and Value. The four Zacks Rank Buy stocks highlighted today are Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (Nasdaq: VSEA), Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. (NYSE: FMS), Cohen & Steers, Inc. (NYSE: CNS), and American Safety Insurance Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE: ASI).

Stocks ranked #1 (Strong Buy) by Zacks have produced an average annual return of 31.8% 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%. To see the full Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) List, or the rank for any other stock, visit: http://at.zacks.com/?id=88

Here is a synopsis of today's Zacks Rank Buy Stocks:

Aggressive Growth - Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (Nasdaq: VSEA)

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc., which was first presented as an Aggressive Growth pick on Aug 3, is up nearly 22%. The company has exceeded analysts' earnings estimates in each of the past seven quarters. VSEA recently announced record fourth-quarter and full-year 2006 results. The stock is cheap given the company's growth prospects. VSEA is trading at 17.8x this year's estimates, below the projected long-term growth rate of 21.3%, giving the stock a PEG ratio of 0.84.

Growth & Income - Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. (NYSE: FMS)

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. recently raised its full-year revenue and profit guidance after posting solid results for the third quarter. Analysts reacted to the company's bullish outlook by upping their profit forecasts for both this quarter and the full year. This Zacks #1 Rank stock has a current dividend yield of 0.92% and a five-year average dividend yield of 1.3%. Its return on equity of 13% crushes the industry average of 4%.

Momentum - Cohen & Steers, Inc. (NYSE: CNS)

Cohen & Steers, Inc. reported third-quarter earnings on Oct 25 at 39 cents per share, a 5% positive surprise over analysts' expectations and 95% above the 20 cents earned in the same quarter last year. On Nov 22, the stock set a new 52-week high at $38.63 and closed at a new high of $38.24. We view CNS as still in a major uptrend and so long as the company continues to deliver positive earnings surprises, one that should continue.

Value - American Safety Insurance Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE: ASI)

American Safety Insurance Holdings, Ltd., a Zacks #1 Rank stock, topped analysts' earnings expectations for the third quarter by 6.4% when it posted profits of 50 cents per share. Furthermore, both gross and net premiums written were up for the quarter. Since the release of ASI's third-quarter results, analysts have been upping their earnings estimates for both this quarter and the full year. ASI has a price-to-book ratio of 1.1, compared to 4.9 for the market. Its PEG ratio currently sits at 0.72.

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Since 1988, the Zacks Rank has proven that "Earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices." A $10,000 investment in the Zacks Rank list made in 1988 would now be worth $1.77 million - equivalent to a 31.8% annualized return! 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 143.6% annually ( 4.8% vs. 11.8%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

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