For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 17, 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: Citigroup Inc. (C), Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA), Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) and Vodafone Plc (VOD).

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Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

Citi to Sell Stake in Bellsystem24

Citigroup Inc. (C) announced that it will sell stake in Bellsystem24 to U.S. private equity firm, Bain Capital Partners, in a deal that values the Japanese call center operator at $1.1 billion.

The company announced on Sunday that it

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Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA) announced it will acquire all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Unitymedia GmbH, the second largest cable TV operator in Germany. The total consideration will be approximately $5.2 billion. Liberty Global will acquire 100% of the shares of Unitymedia for an equity purchase price of around $3 billion and will also assume around $2.2 billion of net outstanding debt of Unitymedia. The deal is expected to be completed by the first half of 2010 subject to regulatory clearance.   Liberty Global is the second largest cable TV operator in the world. However, it is the largest international cable TV operator since Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest cable MSO in the world does not have any operation outside the U.S. As of now, the company has approximately 16.6 million customers in 14 nations, most of which are in Europe. On the other ...

Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA) declared mixed financial results for the third quarter of 2009. Quarterly total revenue of $2.82 billion was an improvement of 7% year-over-year and also better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.75 billion. This was primarily due to the fabulous growth of Telnet and J:COM operations, which provides broadband services in Belgium and Japan respectively.  Quarterly GAAP net loss was $120.3 million or 45 cents per share compared to a net loss of $308.9 million or $1.01 in the prior-year quarter. However, third quarter net loss from continuing operation was 22 cents per share, above the Zacks Consensus estimate of a loss of 20 cents. Quarterly cost of operation was $1,059.2 million, up 5.5% year-over-year.  Selling, General and Administrative expense was $523.8 million, up 2.4% year-over-year. Third quarter operating income was $463.8 million, up 13.6% year-over-year. During the reported quarter, Liberty Global generated $691.4 ...

Struggling mobile phone maker Motorola Inc (MOT) is sailing through nicely with its Broadband Mobility (consisting of Home & Network Mobility and Enterprise Mobility segments) businesses. On Sept. 29, Cincinnati Bell Inc. (CBB) has selected Motorola's gigabit passive optical network (GPON), edge modulation, encryptor and encoding solutions for deployment in its fiber network. Motorola’s GPON solution will enable Cincinnati Bell to deliver next-generation video technologies including high-definition TV (HDTV), video-on-demand (VOD) and standard definition television programming. On Sept. 22, Middleburgh Telephone Company selected Motorola's gigabit passive optical network (GPON) to enable the delivery of rich, personalized media experiences to its subscribers. Motorola solutions inherently support SCTE-55-1, or Motorola RF return path functionality, for easy integration with its RF set-tops and head-end equipment. On Sept. 21, Motorola was awarded a contract to supply EuroDOCSIS 3.0 digital video modems to UPC Broadband for its pan-European network. ...

Recently, Motorola Inc (MOT) was awarded a contract to supply EuroDOCSIS 3.0 digital video modems to UPC Broadband for its pan-European network. UPC Broadband is the European division of Liberty Global Inc (LBTYA), the largest cable TV operator in Europe.  Using Motorola’s SBV6120E EuroDOCSIS 3.0 voice and data solution, UPC will deliver high-speed (120 Mbps) data and IP voice and services to its customers in The Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland. The SBV6120E is part of Motorola's complete portfolio of bandwidth-expanding EuroDOCSIS 3.0-certified technologies.  EuroDOCSIS 3.0 standard is based on 8 MHz channels whereas U.S. DOCSIS 3.0 standard is based on 6 MHz channels. Motorola’s DOCSIS 3.0 solutions enable cable operators to cost-effectively introduce new value-added services, increase bandwidth for feature-rich services, generate higher return on investment, and increase revenues.  Although the financial terms of this contract haves not been disclosed, ...

Colorado is a state of thriving companies. The state’s industries are many and varied; from aerospace & satellite, to agriculture, bioscience, mining and natural resources, financial services, manufacturing and telecommunication. Some great key facts to know about Colorado are:1. Over 100 companies are in the aerospace industry in Colorado.2. The aerospace and satellite industry provide the state with around 130,000 jobs.3. The agricultural industry generates over 105,000 jobs in the state.4. Colorado’s top ranch and commodity products are cattle and diary products.5. There are 380 bioscience companies in the state, employing over 16,000 people.6. Colorado’s nanotechnology industry is number 6 in the country with 75 companies in 20 cities around the state.7. Colorado ranks number 11 in the country for oil production.8. Legislation passed requires that Colorado produce 10% of its energy from renewable sources by the ...

Liberty Global, Inc. (LBTYA) is aggressively buying back shares, a move that we think will provide downside cushion to EPS and elevate the stock price for future acquisitions. In the coming years, we believe the company’s earnings will continue to benefit from the triple play [Internet, cable and phone] as it signs up more customers in Europe, Japan, and Latin America.

However, in our view, Liberty’s top-line and EBITDA growth will begin to decelerate in the second half of 2008, weighed down by the maturing Western European operations (37% of the company’s total revenue and 46% of its operating cash flow) and soaring competition in certain markets, including Romania, Hungary, Austria, and other parts of Europe. We rate the shares a Hold.

Liberty Global’s valuation is steep. The stock is now trading at 30x our 2009 EPS estimate, a small premium to its peers. However, the company is highly leveraged with

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