Zacks Releases Four "Strong Buy" or "Buy" Stocks: Deckers Outdoor, Occidental Petroleum, Nexen Corporation and Coca-Cola FEMSA

Business Wire,  May 13, 2008  

Tags: Coca-Cola Co., New York Stock Exchange, Occidental Petroleum Corp., stock

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CHICAGO -- Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry's leading independent research firm highlights a Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy stock or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value. Today's four highlighted picks are: Deckers Outdoor (Nasdaq: DECK), Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY), Nexen Corporation (NYSE: NXY) and Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A. (NYSE: KOF).

Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buys have nearly tripled the S&P 500 since 1988, producing an average annual return of +31%. 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%.

To see the secret behind this performance, investors are invited to download the free special report, Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions. http://at.zacks.com/?id=4422

Here is a summary of today's Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy Stocks:

Aggressive Growth - Deckers Outdoor (Nasdaq: DECK)

Deckers has certainly proven its shoes aren't just a fad. Its UGG brand posted an 83% jump in sales in the first quarter. Over the past month, this year's earnings estimates have increased 32 cents to $6.45 per share. All five covering analysts have lifted their forecasts.

Zacks Guide to Aggressive Growth Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4423

Growth & Income - Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY)

Thanks to the record-breaking price of oil, Occidental Petroleum Corp. just recently logged a new 52-week and all-time high after reporting solid first-quarter results on Apr 24. Earnings were $2.20 per share, topping the year-prior 98 cents and beating the consensus estimate by 13.4%. Wall Street estimates are up. The company's ROE of 21% is above the industry average of 20%. On the income side, OXY pays an annual dividend of $1.00, which translates into a current yield of 1.2%.

Zacks Guide to Growth & Income Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4424

Momentum - Nexen Corporation (NYSE: NXY)

Nexen Corp. reported excellent first-quarter results on May 1 that included an amazing 421% jump in earnings from the same period last year, totaling $639 million. These strong results were built on the company's increased production capacities and higher energy prices. Moving forward, the company has ample free cash flow to leverage for growth, debt retirement and share buy backs. In accordance, estimates are on the rise, with the current-year estimate up 53 cents in just the last 30 days.

Zacks Guide to Momentum Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4425

Value - Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A. (NYSE: KOF)

Coca-Cola FEMSA is the second-largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world accounting for about 10% of Coke's global sales. The company is finding a strong Latin America market for Coca-Cola brands as sales rose 3.8% in the first quarter. KOF has surprised on estimates three out of the last four quarters by an average of 16.30%. The company has a price-to-book of only 0.11.

Zacks Guide to Value Investing (free!): http://at.zacks.com/?id=4426

The Zacks Rank Discovery

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.

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 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=4427.

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.

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