Zacks Awards 5 Stars to Top Stock Pickers of 2010

CHICAGO, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysts didn't have an easy time identifying winning stocks in the first half of last year. The market traded choppily amid volatility brought on by various concerns, not the least of which was the health of the economy both here and abroad. But in the second half of 2010, stocks turned the corner and began climbing higher. By September, stocks in certain sectors even began to soar. Helping to reinforce this turnaround was strong corporate earnings in the third and fourth quarters.  By year's end, analysts with "Buy" ratings on stocks in the top performing sectors, were really at the top of their game and posting triple digit returns on the year. These analysts had a good understanding of their respective industries and the dynamics that would affect their performance. It is to these analysts that Zacks once again awards its coveted 5 Star Ranking.

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Zacks Investment Research analyzes the performance of the stock recommendations made by brokerage analysts on an ongoing basis.  Analysts who are objectively determined to be at the top of their game, receive the prestigious title of "All-Star", with the 5 Star ranking being the best of the best. The data shows there continues to be a select group of brokerage analysts who are still able to identify the stocks most likely to outperform the market. Given the volatility and other contributing factors over the past year, paying attention to the right analysts is now more important than ever for investors.

Of all of the brokerage analysts that have been awarded the 5 Star ranking, the Top 10, 5 Star Analysts for Year-End 2010 Include...

Analyst performance is measured by the return an investor would have achieved if they followed the analyst's recommendations. To be eligible for star rankings in an industry, analysts must have made at least 3 simultaneous recommendations for companies within that industry during the year.

The Zacks Stars are assigned to an analyst in an industry based on the performance of a hypothetical model portfolio which includes, at any time, all stocks in the industry rated by the analyst.  All stocks in an analyst's portfolio are given equal weight. It is assumed that their portfolio begins each year with an equal amount of money invested in each of the stocks recommended by the analyst at the beginning of the year. Portfolio holdings are rebalanced to equally weighted positions at the end of trading days on which a stock recommendation is changed in the portfolio. Portfolio returns include capital gains and dividends.

To learn which brokerage analysts are the best in their field and which stocks they are recommending today, see the Zacks All Star Analyst survey online at http://www.zacks.com/research/allstar/index.php where you can search them by industry or brokerage firm.

Zacks Investment Research, Inc., the Chicago based provider of market data, has been conducting this survey since 1978. Zacks Investment Research, Inc., developed the concept of the EPS Surprise and created the first quantitative model to predict stock prices based on patterns, estimate revisions and surprises, called the Zacks Rank. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. To learn more about Zacks Investment Research go to http://www.zacks.com.

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SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.