Zacks Releases Four Powerful "Buy" Stocks: Occidental Petroleum Corp., Parker Hannifin Corporation, Almost Family and Tiffany & Company

Business Wire, July 2, 2008

CHICAGO -- Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry's leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value.

The four highlighted picks are: Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY), Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH), Almost Family, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFAM) and Tiffany & Company (NYSE: TIF).

Today, Zacks is promoting its "Buy" stock recommendations. Four daily picks are offered free at http://at.zacks.com/?id=88.

Zacks #1 Rank Stocks have nearly tripled the S&P 500 since 1988, producing an average annual return of 30%. Performance has been notable even during volatile and down times. For example, during the last bear market, 2000-2002, the market tumbled -37.6% - but Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained 43.8%.

Here is a summary of today's selected stocks that are now highly rated by Zacks:

Aggressive Growth - Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY)

Occidental Petroleum Corp. has been scooping up big gains as the company continues to leverage its financial strength to exploit its vast pool of natural resources. The company's stock price is surging in tandem with rising estimates, but even at these levels, still looks like a bargain, trading with a P/E multiple of less than 10X.

Zacks Guide to Aggressive Growth Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4309

Growth & Income - Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH)

Parker Hannifin Corporation could be of great benefit to investors looking for both growth and income. In addition to having strong fundamentals that include record quarterly results, the company is growing through acquisitions. Most recently, PH acquired Titan Industries, a manufacturer of industrial rubber hoses. On the income side, Parker Hannifin boasts a solid record of increasing annual dividends for 52 consecutive years. The company's dividend yield stands at 1.2%, well above the industry average as very few of its peers pay a dividend.

Zacks Guide to Growth & Income Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4310

Momentum - Almost Family, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFAM)

Almost Family, Inc. is operating in the very high-growth and high-demand healthcare sector, being fueled by an aging baby-boomer generation. The company reported very strong first-quarter results on May 6 that included a 23% jump in revenue from the same period last year.

Zacks Guide to Momentum Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4311

Value - Tiffany & Company (NYSE: TIF)

Tiffany is showing its global strength as sales rose 12% in the first quarter on strong demand in Europe and Asia. The company also raised guidance for the rest of the year. Tiffany has surprised on estimates each of the last four quarters on average of 15.87%. The company has a forward P/E of 13.64.

Zacks Guide to Value Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4312

How to Regularly Access Picks from the Zacks Rank Discovery for Free: http://at.zacks.com/?id=88

Underlying the four free stock picks is a simple truth that first appeared in a Financial Analysts Journal article published in 1979. Leonard Zacks, a Ph.D. in Mathematics from M.I.T. found that "earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices." Zacks #1 Rank is awarded to a stock when analysts sharply upgrade their estimates of what the company will earn.

Today, Zacks is promoting its stock recommendations by offering four daily picks free to those who register at http://at.zacks.com/?id=88.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Len Zacks. The company continually processes stock reports issued by 3,000 analysts from 150 brokerage firms. It monitors more than 200,000 earnings estimates, looking for changes.

Then, when changes are discovered, they're applied to help assign more than 4,400 stocks into five Zacks Rank categories: #1 Strong Buy, #2 Buy, #3 Hold, #4 Sell, and #5 Strong Sell. This proprietary stock-picking system continues to outperform the market by a nearly 3-to-1 margin.

More Free Stock Picks

Each weekday, new Zacks #1 Rank or Zacks #2 Rank stock picks are released on the free email newsletter, Profit from the Pros. Investors are invited to register for their free subscription at http://at.zacks.com/?id=91.

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.

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.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.