For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 10, 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: Dean Foods (DF), Hain Celestial (HAIN), United Natural Foods (UNFI), Del Monte (DLM) and Physicians Form Face (FACE).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Organic Products in Demand

On account of mounting competition from alternative channels and evolving consumer needs towards a healthier life, the natural and organic sector is gaining importance. The natural products sector (which includes organic foods, nutritional and herbal supplements, cosmetics and medicines, among other categories) generated sales

...

On account of mounting competition from alternative channels and evolving consumer needs towards a healthier life, the natural and organic sector is gaining importance. The natural products sector (which includes organic foods, nutritional and herbal supplements, cosmetics and medicines, among other categories) generated sales of over $68 billion in 2008. Over the last five years, the natural products industry grew 8% versus 2% for the overall grocery industry. Most recently in 2008, the natural products industry grew 7.4% versus a 2% decline for the grocery industry.

Food companies like Dean Foods (DF), Hain Celestial (HAIN), United Natural Foods (UNFI) and Del Monte (DLM) are market leaders in the natural products sector, and the competition is primarily based on brand recognition, price, taste preference and quality. Acquisitions have been a key part of these companies strategy to build their market share. Acquisitions have not only expanded their geographical

...

* National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) is expected to report a fiscal fourth quarter loss of 42 cents a share

* Palm (NASDAQ:PALM) CEO Colligan is being replaced as CEO of the company

* CR Bard (NYSE:BCR) announced that it increased its quarterly dividend 6% to 17 cents

* Del Monte (NYSE:DLM) is estimated to report fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 26 cents a share

* Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) slashed its dividend to 25 cents a share from 49 cents.  The company also announced an 11.5 million share offering

* Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) received an upgrade from analysts at KBW

Zacks Investment Research

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 5, 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: Procter & Gamble (PG), Del Monte (DLM), Winnebago (WGO), Harley Davidson (HOG) and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB).

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 Thursday's Analyst Blog:

Q1 More Productive

The service sector far outperformed manufacturing since manufacturing productivity was down 2.7% in the quarter. Within manufacturing, there was a serious divergence between durable goods, where productivity plunged 10.4%, and non-durable manufacturing, where it rose 1.9%. Manufacturing productivity is always more volatile

...

Productivity is the ultimate determinate of our standard of living. If real GDP rises, but does so at less than the rate of population growth, then per capita GDP will fall. In the short term, it can be affected by changes in the proportion of people working, but over the long term increasing output per hour worked is the only way to make a society more wealthy.Thus the news that in the first quarter grew at 1.6%, rather than the 0.8% originally estimated, is very welcome news. The consensus expectation was that it would be revised up, but only to 1.2%. Both output and hours worked were down in the quarter, but hours worked fell more than output, leading to better productivity.It appears that within the numbers though there were some serious divergences, with productivity up at 1.8% for the whole business sector, but up ...