For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - April 27, 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: Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (DO), Marriott International (MAR), BJ's Restaurants Inc. (BJRI), News Corporation (NWS) and CEMIG (CIG).

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Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

Diamond Offshore Glitters

Deepwater drilling powerhouse Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (DO) reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and announced another special dividend. We see few signs of the downturn in oilfield activity levels in Diamond's quarterly report -- a trend that we see continuing for many quarters to come.

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Glittering Diamond Offshore - A Dividend PlayDeepwater drilling powerhouse Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (DO) reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and announced another special dividend. We see few signs of the downturn in oilfield activity levels in Diamond's quarterly report -- a trend that we see continuing for many quarters to come.Management did indicate on the call that fresh contracting activity has slowed down significantly, which will weigh on dayrates in contract rollovers. But Diamond has limited exposure to these softening fundamentals, particularly in its core deepwater drilling fleet. Approximately 95% of its deepwater fleet is booked for this year and the number for next year is 73%.Given this level of contract coverage and a revenue backlog exceeding $10 billion, Diamond offers a level of earnings and cash flow visibility that few others can match. Of course, Transocean (RIG), the largest deepwater driller ...