For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 20, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Aetna Inc. (AET), UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), WellPoint Inc. (WLP), Assurant Inc. (AIZ) and Cigna Corp. (CI).

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Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Aetna Axes Jobs

In a bid to become more efficient, the health insurer Aetna Inc. (AET) announced on Wednesday its intention to shed a total of 1,250 jobs or about 3.5% of its total workforce by the first quarter of 2010. Management intends to do so

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In a bid to become more efficient, the health insurer Aetna Inc. (AET) announced on Wednesday its intention to shed a total of 1,250 jobs or about 3.5% of its total workforce by the first quarter of 2010. Management intends to do so in two phases, by slashing 625 jobs now and the remaining early next year.  The company expects to record after-tax restructuring charges of $40 million in fourth quarter 2009. Last December, the company cut 1,000 jobs, which was 3% of its total workforce. The company plans to slash majority of the jobs at its headquarters in Connecticut .  Aetna with a total head count of 35,500 is eliminating jobs to cope with the difficult economic environment and potential impact that the health care reform might cast on its health insurance business. Elimination of excess workforce will help streamline the business by optimizing staffing ...

Coventry Health Care, Inc. (CVH) reported third quarter earnings of 66 cents per share, which was above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 54 cents. The company earned 73 cents in the year-ago quarter. Total operating revenues for the reported quarter increased 17.8% to $3.44 billion from the previous year's $2.92 billion.  Revenues from managed care premiums rose 20% to $3.15 billion, while revenues from management services decreased to $290.9 million from $298.4 million a year earlier. Due to reduced commercial risk and commercial management membership, total enrollment in Coventry plans increased 0.55% to 5.24 million members, mainly on gains in the Medicare D prescription drug program. The membership in that program increased 81,000 from the prior quarter. Total operating expenses for the quarter came in at $3.29 billion, up 18.6% from the year ago quarter. Medical costs, the major operating expense component, rose to $2.66 ...

Aetna Inc. (AET) reported third quarter earnings per share of 69 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 66 cents. However, earnings declined 38% compared to $1.12 reported in the prior-year period due to a lower commercial underwriting margin, an increase in pension expenses partially offset by the lower number of shares outstanding year-over-year. Revenues during the quarter increased 9% to $8.72 billion compared to $8 billion in the third quarter of 2008, driven by a 9% increase in premium revenues and a 5% increase in fees and other revenue. Total medical membership rose 7.3% to 19 million at the end of the reported quarter compared to the year-ago period, but declined 25,000 sequentially. The same trend was witnessed in case of pharmacy and dental membership as well, both of which declined sequentially by 79,000 to 11.155 million and 386, 000 to 14.183 million, respectively....

Stocks meandered at the start as uncertainty over the quarterly results this week kept investors from building positions.  Jittery investors, wanting to see more sings of an economic revival, sold off financial stocks after influential analyst Meredith Whitney downgraded shares of Goldman Sachs.  Whitney also lowered her earnings outlook for Bank of America and Citigroup.  Although late morning saw some strength, stocks struggled to stay afloat and ended the day mixed.   

Gains in commodity prices helped some mid-session buying in energy and material shares but the overall weakness in financial and healthcare stocks kept sentiment in check.  Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) and Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET) fell more than 3% as the Senate Finance Committee approved an $829 billion plan to overhaul the U.S. health system.  Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) fell 2.4% after the company reported revenue that was below the Street expectations.  However, the company reported higher

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Recently, Humana Military Healthcare Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Humana Inc. (HUM), announced the availability of an additional benefit for the beneficiaries of the TRICARE program (a medical program under the Department of Defense) in the South Region.  Humana Military Healthcare Services offers health insurance coverage under the TRICARE program to the dependents of active duty military personnel and retired military personnel coupled with their dependents. Humana Military has been a contractor of the Department of Defense for the administration of the TRICARE program since Jul 1, 1996.  The new benefit provides the families of soldiers enrolled in the TRICARE program access to a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Management Program. They will be able to call a dedicated registered nurse and receive education and coaching on how to deal with this lung disease which blocks airflow thereby resulting in breathing difficulties.  Humana started ...

Recently Humana Inc. (HUM) announced that its Medicare coverage in 3 California countries is expanding. Members eligible for Medicare in Fresno , San Bernardino and Riverside can enroll in a Humana Gold Plus health maintenance organization (HMO) plan. Coverage would be effective from Jan. 1, 2010.  The expansion has been approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The gold plus plan acts as a supplemental coverage to Medicare. Members can choose a primary care physician in the plan network.  The other benefits of the plan include no or low monthly plan premiums, low co-payments for visits to doctors and annual routine physicals, coverage for most annual screenings at no charge, and worldwide emergency coverage. The persons opting for this plan will enjoy discounts on vision and hearing care, prescriptions, and complimentary and alternative medicine.  The period for enrollment to the Humana Gold ...

Early this morning, Coventry Health Care Inc. (CVH) announced that it has agreed to acquire Preferred Health Systems, Inc. (commonly referred to as PHS), the wholly-owned health insurance subsidiary of Via Christi Health System, Inc.  PHS is based in Wichita, Kansas. It is a commercial health plan whose beneficiaries include more than 100,000 members for whom it assumes full insurance risk, and 20,000 members for whom PHS provides administrative services. The acquisition of PHS will further widen the customer base of the diversified national managed healthcare company in the Midwestern United States.  The transaction, expected to close in the next 90 to 120 days, will not affect Coventry ’s earnings in the first year.  PHS was incorporated in 1993 following strong support and encouragement from area physicians, St. Francis Regional Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center , which merged to form Via Christi Health ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

Acuity Brands Inc (AYI) Administaff Inc (ASF) Advanta Corp (ADVNB) Aetna Inc (AET) American International Group Inc (AIG) Ametek Inc (AME) Belden Inc (BDC) Conmed Corp (CNMD) Developers Diversified Realty Corp (DDR) Dun & Bradstreet Corp (DNB) Exterran Holdings Inc (EXH) Flir Systems Inc (FLIR) FMC Corp (FMC) Gardner Denver Inc (GDI) Granite Construction Inc (GVA) The Hain Celestial Group Inc (HAIN) Harsco Corp (HSC) ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

Ada-es Inc (ADES) Aircastle Ltd (AYR) Akzo Nobel NV (AKZOY) China Green Agriculture Inc (CGA) Concurrent Computer Corp (CCUR) Dun & Bradstreet Corp (DNB) Exterran Holdings Inc (EXH) Fairpoint Communications Inc (FRP) First Community Bancshares Inc (FCBC) Goldleaf Financial Solutions Inc (GFSI) Lufkin Industries Inc (LUFK) MGIC Investment Corp (MTG) Monsanto Co (MON) Net17 1 Ueps Technologies Inc (UEPS) Omnicare Inc (OCR) Otter Tail Corp (OTTR) PetSmart Inc ...