Zacks Analyst Interview Highlights: Four Seasons, Winston Hotels and Starwood Hotels

Business Wire, April 10, 2007

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com releases the latest Analyst Interview. Today's interview is with senior analyst Sean P. Smith, who discusses Four Seasons (NYSE: FS), Winston Hotels (NYSE: WXH) and Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT).

A synopsis of today's Analyst Interview is presented below. The full article can be read at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2678.

Among companies in your coverage, are any considered to be good buyout candidates?

Well, we've actually already seen a couple that have received buyout offers and accepted - everything from large hotel chains such as Four Seasons (NYSE: FS) to smaller real estate investment trusts [REITs] such as Winston Hotels (NYSE: WXH). Currently, there is a lot of speculation on the Street concerning Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT) due to the recent departure of their CEO. It was announced last week that the CEO was stepping down, which took a lot of the Street by surprise. He had only been there about two and a half years. The company just cited difficulty in management style - really more of a personality clash.

One of the interesting things is that the CEO left without any kind of severance package, and left some money on the table there. So that left some people kind of wondering. Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal said that it was prompted by an anonymous letter from an employee regarding potential personal conflict issues; the CEO denies anything inappropriate. The company hasn't come out with any real details, but the main point is, with that CEO being gone, a lot of people on the Street have considered that Starwood could be a more likely buyout candidate as they're looking for a full-time CEO right now.

The stock price went up after last week's news, I believe.

Yes it did. It actually moved from around $64 before the announcement was made to trade up around $70 to close the week last week. It's down a little bit after the weekend article, but that upswing was the initial reaction.

Read the full interview at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2647.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today by visiting http://at.zacks.com/?id=2679.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=2648.

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 Zacks Performance Rank performance is the total return of equal weighted simulated portfolios consisting of those stocks with the indicated Zacks Rank net of fees. Results reflect the reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. Simulated results do not represent actual trading and may not reflect the impact that economic and market factors might have had on decision-making if an adviser were actually managing a client's money.

(b)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 & 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.