Zacks Broker Upgrade Highlights: Expedia, J.C. Penney, Starbucks and AFLAC

Business Wire, Jan 21, 2008

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Broker Upgrades. Every week, Zacks editor Mark Vickery updates the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the Broker Upgrades include: Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE), J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP), Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) and AFLAC, Inc. (NYSE: AFL).

Here are highlights from Friday's Broker Upgrades:

Companies with increasing global outreach, which thereby limits their exposure to a struggling U.S. market, are those seeing a boost to their ABR today. Market leader in online travel services Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE) has recently announced some streamlining improvements to its Internet links with hotels the company does business with. As quarterly earnings aren't expected until February 7th, apparently some brokers are getting a jump on some of this perceived good news by upping their ABR 0.11 to 2.22. This makes Expedia one of the top movers of the day.

Investors may be interested to know that J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) also gained in ABR rather significantly today, up 0.09 to 2.09. Though retailers have been hit hard as of late, J.C. Penney has additional operations in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Chile. The company also has a majority interest in a Brazilian department store chain. The major portion of the company's business consists of providing merchandise and services to consumers through department stores that include catalog departments.

The story behind Starbucks' (Nasdaq: SBUX) improvement in ABR is a very common one for the coffee retailer: continued growth. In addition to sales through our company-operated retail stores, Starbucks sells whole bean coffees through a specialty sales group and supermarkets. Additionally, Starbucks produces and sells bottled Frappuccino coffee drink and a line of premium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships and offers a line of innovative premium teas produced by its wholly owned subsidiary, Tazo Tea Company. Its ABR is up 0.08 to 2.17.

Finally, AFLAC, Inc. (NYSE: AFL) saw an increase in its ABR by 0.05 to 2.26. This seems to be in anticipation of its earnings report, which is expected at the end of this month. Its primary business is supplemental health and life insurance, which is marketed and administered primarily through its subsidiary, American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.

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