Zacks.com Featured Expert Kevin Matras Highlights: AG Edwards, NetGear and Everest Re Group

Business Wire, May 23, 2007

CHICAGO -- Kevin Matras explains why a good stock screener can be your best tool for picking options. Stocks in this week's article are AG Edwards, Inc. (NYSE: AGE), NetGear, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR) and Everest Re Group, Ltd. (NYSE: RE). Click here for the full story exclusively on Zacks.com: http://at.zacks.com/?id=109

Screen of the Week written by Kevin Matras of Zacks Investment Research:

This week, I'd like to explain why a good stock screener is the best tool for picking the right options.

Regardless of whether you're buying options or writing them, you not only have to be right on the stock's direction, but also on its timing. Even the most sophisticated of options strategies requires the investor to have at least an idea as to what the stock will or won't do within a certain period of time. Often times, people who buy options with more time in order to be safe are forced to buy options further out-of-the-money because of the cost, which ultimately reduces their chances of profitability.

But by backtesting a stock-picking strategy to see if your stocks typically go up as soon as they're identified, you can buy less time and closer-to-the-money (better) options. Simply put, you can make better decisions as to which options to get into. With better knowledge of your stocks' movement potential, you can employ a better option strategy for even bigger gains.

Here's an easy way to get started. In the Research Wizard, some of our best and winningest strategies come loaded with the program. Simply add the filter; 'optionable' (meaning these stocks have options). Add the optionable filter to these strategies and then go find the best options.

Here are three optionable stocks, from some of my favorite stock screening strategies (for the week of 5/22/07):

AGE    AG Edwards, Inc.
       (from the EPS Growth screen and Upgrades & Revisions2 screen)

NTGR   NetGear, Inc.
       (the EPS Growth screen and Upgrades & Revisions2 screen)

RE     Everest Re Group, Ltd.
       (from the Winning Ways screen)

Get the rest of the stocks from each one of these screens and start making better stock and option decisions today.

And remember, the key to successful stock picking is in discovering those screens that have produced profitable results in the past. And the key to better option selections is in knowing what to expect from your stocks (and when). And how will you know? By backtesting! Click here to find out more about our free trial to the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting program. http://at.zacks.com/?id=111

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Each week, Zacks Profit from the Pros free email newsletter shares a new screening strategy. Learn more about it here http://at.zacks.com/?id=112

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