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All Star Analysts Portfolio Highlights: AMETEK, Diamond Offshore Drilling, Evergreen Solar and PPD, Inc.

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 October 2006, 06:00 CDT

Zacks.com just released its latest additions and deletions to its proprietary All Star Analyst portfolio. Members on this exclusive list include AMETEK Inc. (NYSE: AME), Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE: DO), Evergreen Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESLR) and PPD, Inc. (NASDAQ: PPDI). View the entire list of stocks on the All Star Analyst portfolio at http://at.zacks.com/?id=510

This exclusive portfolio represents all stocks with a Strong Buy rating from at least four analysts with a 5-Star All Star ranking. These are the brokerage analysts whose stock recommendations proved to be the most profitable for investors. Since July 2002, this portfolio has generated an annualized return of 9.34%, exceeding the S&P 500. Here is a synopsis of why these stocks are in the All Star Analysts Portfolio:

AMETEK Inc. (NYSE: AME) will report its third-quarter numbers on Thursday, and the manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices has already called the period 'outstanding.' In fact, the company recently raised its earnings per share guidance for the quarter and now expects 66 cents to 67 cents. The previous guidance called for EPS between 59 cents and 61 cents. The Zacks #2 Rank company said strong internal growth and contributions from acquired businesses helped to drive its top-line growth. The company also raised its EPS outlook for the year.

Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE: DO) will report its third-quarter results on Oct 27. In its second quarter, the contract drilling services company reported earnings per share of $1.27, which surpassed the consensus by more than 3% while surging year over year from 31 cents. Revenues increased to $512.2 million from $283. 4 million. The company attributed the improvement in operating results to continuing record-high average dayrates and rig utilization for its entire fleet.

Evergreen Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESLR) announced earlier this week that it has entered into a four-year supply contract with Mainstream Energy, LLC that will play a role in its effort to further penetrate the U.S. marketplace. Evergreen will ship about $100 million of photovoltaic modules over the next four years. In the past 12 months, the solar power products provider has entered into six major contracts, which includes Mainstream. The value of these six contracts totals more than $700 million over the next five years. Shares rose on news of the deal. Evergreen Solar will report its third-quarter results next week. The All Stars like this company's potential moving forward.

PPD, Inc. (NASDAQ: PPDI) is a Zacks #2 Rank company that was recently added to the All Star Analyst portfolio. During its recent third quarter report, the company announced that its Board increased the annual dividend rate by 20% to 12 cents per share from 10 cents. The drug development company said it continued to see solid growth in a number of geographic areas and service segments within the industry. For the quarter, net revenue of $313.1 million improved by 14.6% from $273.3 million a year earlier. PPDI also announced that its president will leave the company at year end.

Discover all the current All Star Analyst rankings and top analyst recommendations at http://at.zacks.com/?id=511

About Zacks All Star Analyst Survey

To learn which brokerage analysts are the best in their field and what stocks they're recommending today, see the Zacks All Star Analyst survey. This exclusive survey, created with Fortune Magazine, reveals the "Best-of-Breed" brokerage analysts. They are the select group of winners from the universe of brokerage analysts - the ones who consistently beat the street - the few you should be following now. Visit the Zacks All Star Survey to find the best analysts and their top stock recommendations at http://at.zacks.com/?id=512

Top recommendations from All Star Analysts Highlighted in FREE Investment Newsletter

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Source: Business Wire

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