Zacks #1 Rank Top Performers: Quantum Corp., Thomas Properties, Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin, TreeHouse Foods and Life Partners Holdings

Business Wire, August 21, 2007

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com announces the latest list of top performing Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") stocks. The stocks on the prestigious list with the highest returns last week were Quantum Corporation (NYSE: QTM), Thomas Properties Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPGI), Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. (NASDAQ: ABCW), TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE: THS) and Life Partners Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPHI). Each of these stocks easily outperformed the S&P 500.

Stocks ranked #1 (Strong Buy) by Zacks have produced an average annual return of 32.2% 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 learn more about the Zacks Rank, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=3172.

Here is a synopsis of the last week's best performing Zacks #1 Rank stocks.

Quantum Corporation (NYSE: QTM) gained 13.8% for the week ended Aug 17, making it one of the top-performing Zacks #1 Rank stocks. The August 2006 acquisition of Advanced Digital Information Corporation is already paying off for Quantum, as fiscal first quarter revenues rose to $246 million. That marks a year-over-year increase of 32%. Another highlight in the quarter was its GAAP gross margin rate, which at 31.8% was significantly higher than the 27.9% rate a year earlier; marking its best performance in three years. Furthermore, earnings per share, excluding items, bettered the consensus.

Quantum Corporation is the leading global storage company specializing in backup, recovery and archive. Earnings estimates for this fiscal year, ending March 2008, are up 111% over the past month.

Thomas Properties Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPGI) is a full-service real estate company that develops and manages primarily office, as well as mixed-use and residential, properties. TPGI was a top-performing Zacks #1 Rank stock for last week with an advance of 13.77%. The company was pleased with its first half results as it continues to increase the value of its portfolio through development and renovation. In addition, Thomas Properties Group believes it is well positioned to take advantage of value-enhancing opportunities.

For its second quarter, the company announced a profit per share, compared to a loss in the previous year. Total revenues also improved year over year. Over the past 30 trading days, earnings estimates for this year are up 11.7%.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. (NASDAQ: ABCW) has watched its earnings estimates trend upward. Expectations for this fiscal year, ending March 2008, are up approximately 9% over the past month, including a rise of 2.2% in the past seven trading days. Shares of the company rose 13.6% last week, making it a member of the top performers list.

The fiscal first quarter was a challenging period for Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin, as margin compression continues to pressure earnings. The company announced 46 cents per share for the quarter earlier this month, which declined year-over-year. However, the result jumped sequentially by more than 21% and eclipsed the consensus by almost 18%.

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE: THS) reported second-quarter earnings per share of 29 cents, excluding a gain, on net sales of $256 million. The earnings result improved from the previous year, while also bettering the consensus by approximately 3.6%. Sales advanced by more than 10%. The company said results in the quarter finished at the high end of its expectations as it began to see the results of its pricing and cost containment programs.

TreeHouse Foods is a food manufacturer servicing primarily the retail grocery and foodservice channels. The company was a top performer for the week ended Aug 17 as shares gained 10.3%. Looking forward, the company expects that quarter-over-quarter progress will continue for the rest of the year despite pressures of its key input costs. TreeHouse set a third-quarter earnings range of between 29 cents and 32 cents, and reaffirmed its guidance for the full year.

Life Partners Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPHI) makes its first appearance on the top performers list since late June. Shares of the company, which is engaged in the secondary markets for life insurance, advanced 8.8% last week. On Aug 13, the company announced that its 5-for-4 stock split will be paid on Sep 27 to shareholders of record as of Sep 14. Furthermore, the company will pay a quarterly cash dividend of six cents per share to shareholders of record as of Aug 31 to be paid on or about Sep 12. Such actions are in response to the company's stock increasing in value more than 600% during the past year and its average trading volume moving to 234,000 shares per day.

For its fiscal first quarter, Life Partners announced earnings per share of 49 cents, easily surpassing both its year-ago total and the Wall Street consensus. In addition, revenues of approximately $17.6 million advanced year over year from $6.2 million, and total business volume soared 180%.

About the Zacks Rank

Since 1988, 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 32.2%. 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 129% annually ( 5.3% vs. 12.1%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.