Zacks Earnings and Margins Strategy highlights: Matthews International, Horizon Bancorp, Joe's Jeans and TAL International Group

Business Wire, Sept 19, 2008

CHICAGO -- Earnings are the single most important metric for a company. Combine that with a healthy Net Profit Margin and you find a screen that has generated a cumulative return of 623.7% since January 2001. For 2006, this Profit Track has returned 23.4%. For the first month of 2007, this Profit Track returned 4.0%. This screen is called the Earnings and Margins Profit Track strategy. Here are four stocks meeting this screen's exclusive criteria: Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ: MATW), Horizon Bancorp. (NASDAQ: HBNC), Joe's Jeans Inc. (NASDAQ: JOEZ) and TAL International Group, Inc. (NYSE: TAL). View the entire list of stocks for the Earnings and Margins Profit Track at http://at.zacks.com/?id=1858.

Here are four companies that meet the following Earnings and Margins Profit Track:

Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ: MATW), Zacks #2 Rank company, reported third-quarter year-over-year earnings that increased to 69 cents per share from 59 cents. MATW is currently enjoying an average broker rating of 1 and a growth rate of 9.22%, which place it on the Earnings and Margins profit track. The company also sports a net margin of 9%. MATW is a designer, manufacturer and marketer principally of memorialization products and brand solutions.

Horizon Bancorp. (NASDAQ: HBNC) is a bank holding company that delivered a 43.75% surprise in the second quarter with earnings that amounted to 92 cents per share. Last year, the company earned 62 cents. This Zacks #2 Rank makes the grade for this profit track with a growth rate of 7.73% and an average broker recommendation of 1. Moreover, Horizon Bancorp sports a net margin of 9%.

Joe's Jeans Inc. (NASDAQ: JOEZ), through its operating subsidiaries, designs, manufactures and markets various canvas and nylon products. In the second quarter, JOEZ's earnings amounted to 3 cents per share, compared to 1 cent last year. Analysts expected earnings of 2 cents. The Zacks #2 Rank company enjoys a net margin of 4%, indicating that it is a solid company with satisfactory earnings. Moreover, JOEZ sports an average broker rating of 1.

TAL International Group, Inc. (NYSE: TAL) recently delivered second-quarter results that beat analysts' expectations. Year-over-year earnings amounted to 52 cents per share, compared to 41 cents. TAL currently enjoys a net profit margin of 11% and a Zacks #2 Rank, which qualifies the company for the Earnings and Margins profit track. In addition, TAL sports an average broker recommendation of 1 and a growth rate of 15.65%.

Discover all the current stocks currently on the Earnings and Margin Profit Track at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=1859

About Profit Tracks

What is a "Profit Track"? Each Profit Track is a successful stock picking strategy with proven results through the Bear Market of 2001-2002 and the Bull run started in 2003. On Zacks.com we have created these nine unique screens to offer investors great strategies to potentially outperform the market in the years ahead. In 2006, the Low Price Stocks strategy was the top performing Profit Track with a return of 56.5% followed by the Discounted Fundamental screen with a 34% return. To see all nine strategies along with philosophy, past performance and current stocks, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=1838.

All the Profit Track strategies were created and backtested using the Research Wizard software from Zacks Investment Research. If you like this screening strategy, but want to narrow down the list of stocks and even improve the performance, then you should start a free trial to this powerful stock picking tool. Learn more about the Research Wizard free trial offer and our new special report "Top 10 Stock Screening Strategies" at http://at.zacks.com/?id=4633.

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