Chicago, IL – November 9, 2009 – Zacks Equity Research highlights Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ISPH) as the Bull of the Day and Sears Holdings (SHLD) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Moody's Corp.(MCO), CBS Corporation (CBS) and Forest Oil Corporation (FST).

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5506

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ISPH) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of treatments for respiratory and ophthalmologic disorders.

Currently, the company has three products on the market and a robust pipeline. We see strong top line growth from 2009 and beyond. Inspire just reported positive phase III data of Denufosol for CF. The company has a strong collaborative alliance with Allergan Pharmaceuticals for key products that treat dry eyes and allergic conjunctivitis.

Current price is attractive. We maintain our Outperform rating on shares of Inspire with a price target of $7.00.

Bear of the Day:

Sears Holdings' (SHLD) vulnerability to the continued economic downturn is adversely affecting its top-line growth. The company recorded an 8.6% decline in same-store sales and closed 28 non-performing stores during the fiscal 2009 second quarter amid a slump in housing and sluggish apparel sales.

Moreover, intense competition from giant discounters, mass merchants and regional stores, coupled with the seasonality of business and exposure to foreign currency fluctuations, severely undermine the company's future growth prospects and sustainability.

Consequently, we have changed the recommendation for the company from Neutral to Underperform as we anticipate it to perform well below the broader market.

Latest Posts on the Zacks Analyst Blog:

Raising Moody's Estimates

We are raising our estimates for Moody's Corp.(MCO) for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 and full year of fiscal 2010 due to continued resurgence in the company's results. Moody's is an industry leader in the credit rating industry and enjoys a high organic growth rate, along with strong profit margins and cash flows.

Results for the first nine months of 2009, although below year-ago level were better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, reflecting an improvement in credit markets and growth in Moody's Analytics business.

CBS Tops Zacks Estimate

CBS Corporation (CBS) recently reported better-than-expected third-quarter 2009 results. The quarterly earnings of 25 cents a share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents, but fell 35.9% from 39 cents posted in the prior-year quarter.

On a reported basis, including one-time items, quarterly earnings of 30 cents a share improved from quarterly loss of $18.58 delivered in the year-ago quarter.

Forest Misses on Lower Sales

Forest Oil Corporation (FST) reported its third-quarter 2009 earnings of 48 cents per share, compared with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 53 cents and a year-ago profit of $1.26. Before adjusting one-time items, earnings were $1.53 per share. The results came in below expectations mainly due to lower sales volumes.

Sales volumes for the quarter came in at 476 MMcfe/d (77% natural gas), down 9% from 520 MMcfe/d in the corresponding 2008 period. The decrease in production was due to deferred and divested volumes.

Get the full analysis of all these stocks by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=5507.

About the Bull and Bear of the Day

Every day, the analysts at Zacks Equity Research select two stocks that are likely to outperform (Bull) or underperform (Bear) the markets over the next 3-6 months.

About the Analyst Blog

Updated throughout every trading day, the Analyst Blog provides analysis from Zacks Equity Research about the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous analyst coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today by visiting http://at.zacks.com/?id=5508.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5509.

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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.

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TiVo (TIVO) shares on Monday, June 29, 2009, lost 4.08% and fell $0.45 to close at $10.58. The slide in the price followed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to permit Cablevision (CVC) and other cable operators to offer network DVR (Digital Video Recorder) service.

The new service will allow subscribers to record programs on centralized servers, instead of requiring separate set-top boxes with in-built hard drives. The standard TiVo DVR records and stores TV shows on a hard drive in the set-top box, allowing consumers to playback programming and skip past ads. The new remote-storage DVR system converts every digital set-top box into a DVR, and allows users to record shows.

A number of film studios and television networks including Time Warner (TWX), News Corporation (NWSA), CBS Corporation (CBS) and Walt Disney (DIS) squabbled that Cablevision's new remote-storage DVR violated federal copyright laws, as it amounts to an unauthorized rebroadcast of their programs. However, Cablevision declined the comment by arguing that the discretion to record or playback shows remains with the users.

The plan to launch remote-storage DVR was announced by Cablevision in 2006. The system has a huge implication for cable operators, since they will not be required to deploy set-top boxes with hard drives, which will save costs. The control is now centrally located on the servers, which the cable operators will operate. The cable companies could possibly pass on the savings to consumers by offering service at a lower price point than TiVo, which may result in subscriber switch from the latter. Comcast (CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (TWC) have shown interest to launch a service similar to that of Cablevision. Cablevision shares on Monday June 29, 2009, jumped $0.46, or 2.44%, and closed at $19.32.

We maintain a Hold rating on TiVo with a six-month target price of $8.00.

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog:

Nanosphere Q1 Revs Disappoint

Nanosphere, Inc. (NSPH) reported financial results for the period ending March 31, 2009 following the market close on May 7, 2009. Revenue came in at $255,225, all of which was from product sales, which consisted largely of cartridge sales. There was no contribution from government grants and contracts revenue during the quarter.

Product sales fell 16% from the $303,404 posted in the first quarter 2008. Sales were significantly below our forecast of $520,000 ($510,000 product sales plus $10,000 in government grants and contracts revenue) due to delays in getting the cystic fibrosis (CF) and first-generation infectious disease (RVP) assays to market. Management noted that cartridge sales remained robust with customer utilization rates increasing in the quarter, both on a year-over-year and sequential basis.

CBS Corp. Upgraded to Buy

CBS Corporation (CBS) lifted a hovering dark cloud by announcing Friday that it is repurchasing $1.2 billion in senior notes due in October 2010, and funding them with longer-term notes.

The tender offer for the 7.7% senior notes expires May 15.

NewsCorp to Try Micro-Payments

In a move designed to reduce its reliance on advertising revenues, Editor-in-chief of Dow Jones and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ, a subsidiary of News Corporation [NWS]), Robert Thomson yesterday unveiled plans to introduce a "sophisticated micro-payments service" for access to individual online articles later this year. The announcement is consistent a number of key personnel changes, which point to a greater emphasis on the company's digital media assets going forward.

News Corp. recently reported lower-than-expected net income of $2.7B, effectively flat y/y, compared with $2.7B in 3Q08. Total operating income decreased 48% y/y, primarily due to a 97% y/y and 99% y/y decline in Newspaper and Film division contributions respectively.

Bullish on Corrections Corp.

Shares of Buy-rated Corrections Corporation of America (CXW) were up more than 25% last week.

Late last week, the company reported quarterly earnings that exceeded our expectation, and raised its full-year earnings guidance.

We continue to believe that the private-prison industry in the United States holds significant growth potential, and as the largest company in the industry, we consider CXW to be well-positioned to capitalize on growth going forward.

John Bean Q1 Numbers Way Off

Revenues of $169.0 million for John Bean Technology Corp. (JBT) were down 35.0%. Gross Income declined by 24.2% to $46.9 million; however, the Gross Margin did climb from 23.8% to 27.8%, which is a positive.

Although S,G&A dropped 11.2% to $34.8 million, it wasn't enough to keep the expense ratio from rising from 15.1% of Sales to 20.6%. Similarly, R,D,T&E dipped 27.3% to $4.0 million, but rose as a percent of Sales from 2.1% to 2.4%. Other Income/Expense dropped 85.7% to $300 thousand, while Interest went from a positive $100 thousand of Income to a negative $2.2 million of Expense.

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About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2677

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=4580.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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.

Contact:
Mark Vickery
Web Content Editor
312-265-9380
Visit: www.zacks.com

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

Lloyds Still Expects a Loss

Today in its first quarter trading update, Lloyds Banking Group plc (LYG, or Lloyds) announced that it still expects to post a loss for full-year 2009 (excluding an accounting gain from negative goodwill) on the back of rising loan impairment charges due to continued economic deterioration.

Lloyds now expects a 50%-plus increase in corporate impairments, largely from commercial real estate losses in the UK and Ireland, in addition to significantly higher impairments in the retail secured and unsecured loan portfolios.

CBS Ad Revs Tumble As Expected

CBS Corporation (CBS) reported that as expected it lost $0.08 per share in 1Q09, a sharp drop from the $0.36 per share it earned in the year-ago quarter.

Two-thirds of the company's revenues come from advertising, which has been falling sharply for several quarters in all medias, with the Internet providing the lone engine of growth -- and even that began to slide in 4Q08.

Revenue slumped 13% to $3.16 billion, as falling revenue in the company's TV, radio, outdoor and publishing businesses was partially offset by the acquisition of CNET Networks. EBITDA plunged disproportionately -- down 42% to $249 million-- eviscerated by heavy fixed costs.

Somaxon - Too Much Risk

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (SOMX) is running dangerously low on cash. Management exited the second quarter with $4.4 million in cash and restricted cash. Based on our financial model, Somaxon will run out of cash in July 2009. Therefore, the company plans to enter into a financing in May or June 2009.

The company noted on its first quarter conference call that this financing will be enough to fund operations through the FDA review of Silenor. Therefore, we believe management will seek to raise roughly $10 million in new capital. Given the current market value of only $9 million, we see the upcoming financing as potentially 100% dilutive.

ALXA's Symphony Allegro Squeeze

Management at Alexza Pharmaceuticals (ALXA) is focused on completing the necessary non-pivotal safety and supportive work, as well as the chemical and manufacturing scale-up on AZ-004 in preparation of the planned NDA filing in early 2010.

The only clinical trial program that will run in 2009 is the recently initiated phase IIb program on AZ-104. No clinical work is being done on AZ-007 or AZ-001 at this point. Besides the preparation that is being done for the AZ-004 new drug application (NDA), management will also focus on partnering opportunities for AZ-004 and AZ-001.

NGSX's Qutenza Nearing Approval

NeurogesX, Inc. (NGSX) filed a new drug application (NDA) on Qutenza (formerly NGX-4010) for post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) in October 2008. The filing includes data from 2,300 patients and two positive phase III trials, C116 and C117, discussed below.

The FDA accepted the application in December 2008 and established a PDUFA action date of August 16, 2009. However, in recent discussions with the FDA, NeurogesX was asked for additional information around the topical anesthetic used in the phase III program.

Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2649.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2677

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=4580.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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.

Contact:
Mark Vickery
Web Content Editor
312-265-9380
Visit: www.zacks.com