For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 23, 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: China Mobile (CHL), Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), China Unicom (CHU), China Telecom (CHA) and Vodafone (VOD).

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 Friday’s Analyst Blog:

China Mobile Outlines 4G Plan

China Mobile (CHL), the world’s largest wireless carrier by subscriber, has revealed its plan to commence the trial run of its 4G network during World Expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai from May 1 to Oct 31, 2010. The company’s 4G service

...

China Mobile (CHL), the world’s largest wireless carrier by subscriber, has revealed its plan to commence the trial run of its 4G network during World Expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai from May 1 to Oct 31, 2010. The company’s 4G service is based on the TD-LTE (Time Division Duplex Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband technology. Roughly 200 participants and 70 million visitors are expected to assemble at the Expo.   China Mobile has recently selected Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) for the responsibilities of design, construction, installation and integration of communication infrastructure to facilitate the 4G network trial. The TD-LTE network will provide advanced wireless services (including high-definition TV and ultra-fast broadband Internet access) to the visitors at the exposition.   The three major Chinese telecom operators China Mobile, China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA) are investing heavily in Shanghai to improve the city’s network

...

Telefonica (TEF) reported third-quarter 2009 results with earnings per ADS of US$1.88, comfortably beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of US$1.49. The Spanish telecom giant reported net income of €1.99 billion (US$2.85 billion), down 0.6% year over year, due to lower sales as a result of the beleaguered economy, especially in Spain. Revenue Consolidated revenue fell 5.7% year over year to €14.1 billion (US$20.2 billion). Revenue was impacted by weak contributions from domestic and European markets due to the recession. Latin America contributed 40% of the group revenues followed by Spain at 35% and Europe at 25%. Result by Segments Telefonica Espana The company’s Spanish revenue declined 8.9% to €4.9 billion (US$7 billion), impacted by a reduction in mobile termination rates (inter-operator fees) and the economic downturn. Wireline business revenues fell 9.4% year over year to €2.9 billion (US$4.1 billion) while revenue from wireless ...

Vodafone Group Plc (VOD), the largest wireless carrier in the world by revenue, has announced interim results for fiscal year 2010 with adjusted net income of £4.58 billion (US$7.3 billion) increasing 15% year over year from £3.99 billion (US$6.4 billion) reported a year ago, driven by favorable exchange rate movements and reduced tax. Adjusted earnings exclude one-time items such as impairment losses. Group Revenue & EBITDA The telecom giant reported consolidated revenues of £21.8 billion (US$34.8 billion) for the period, representing a 9.3% year over year growth. Favorable exchange rate (euro-sterling) swings and net impact of merger and acquisition initiatives contributed to this growth. Excluding these impacts (organic basis), revenue declined 3% year over year. Group service revenue declined 2.6% year over year on an organic basis to £20.5 billion (US$32.7 billion), primarily due to weaker contributions from European markets as recessionary conditions curbed demand ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 4, 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: France Telecom (FTE), Apple (AAPL), Telefonica (TEF), Vodafone (VOD) and Deutsche Telekom (DT).

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 Tuesday’s AnalystBlog:

Orange UK Confirms iPhone Launch

France Telecom’s (FTE) subsidiary Orange UK has revealed the iPhone launch date as the carrier will officially unveil the iconic handset in the UK on Nov. 10, 2009. Moreover, the operator has also released pricing and tariff details for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which will

...

France Telecom’s (FTE) subsidiary Orange UK has revealed the iPhone launch date as the carrier will officially unveil the iconic handset in the UK on Nov. 10, 2009. Moreover, the operator has also released pricing and tariff details for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which will be sold through direct retail distribution channels including on-line stores, shops and telesales channels. Orange will sell the iPhone to consumer and business customers through various price plans such as "pay as you go" (PAYG) and "pay monthly" basis. Under the PAYG plan, customers who top up £50 ($82) at purchase will get the iPhone 3G for £343 ($563), iPhone 3GS (16GB) for £440 ($722) and iPhone 3GS (32GB) for £539 ($884), along with 250MB of data usage per month and unlimited Wi-Fi (wireless broadband) access for a year. Under the "pay monthly" option, iPhone 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models ...

French telecom giant France Telecom (FTE) has reported operating results for third-quarter 2009 with revenue falling 6.4% year over year to €12.69 billion (US$18.1 billion), primarily due to unfavorable exchange rate fluctuations (British pound versus Polish zloty) and reduced mobile termination rates (inter-operator fees). Revenue was also hurt by the recession-driven discontinuation of landline phone use by customers.       EBITDA & Margin France Telecom, which operates two of the leading telecom brands in Europe (Orange and Wanadoo), reported EBITDA of €4.6 billion (US$6.6 billion) which declined 8% from the year-ago quarter, resulting in a fall in EBITDA margin to 35.9% from 36.6%. This decline is a result of stringent price regulation and adverse currency exchange swings. Revenue by Key Markets Reported revenue in France (46% of group sales), the company’s largest market, declined 1.6% year over year to €5.9 billion (US$8.4 billion) ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 21, 2009 – Zacks Equity Research highlights Vodafone (VOD) as the Bull of the Day and Conmed Corp. (CNMD) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), Coca Cola Company (KO) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT).

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2676

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

We maintain our Outperform recommendation for Vodafone (VOD), the largest revenue generating international wireless carrier. Revenue growth in the last quarter was fuelled by foreign exchange gains and acquisitions.

Additionally, increase in subscriber base was driven by continued healthy net additions in its Indian operation. Vodafone's globally diversified operation provides hedging elements which offset price competition and translation risk that may arise in specific markets. The company continues

...

We maintain our Outperform recommendation for Vodafone (VOD), the largest revenue generating international wireless carrier. Revenue growth in the last quarter was fuelled by foreign exchange gains and acquisitions.

Additionally, increase in subscriber base was driven by continued healthy net additions in its Indian operation. Vodafone's globally diversified operation provides hedging elements which offset price competition and translation risk that may arise in specific markets. The company continues to accelerate 3G wireless service deployments and expanding network availability across Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Moreover, Vodafone is focused on improving shareholder returns through attractive dividend payouts. Management's outlook for fiscal 2010 remains favorable as operating results are expected to improve with continued growth across incipient markets coupled with ongoing cost saving initiatives and currency exchange translation gains.Zacks Investment Research

German telecom carrier Deutsche Telekom (DT) and France Telecom (FTE) are merging their UK operations in a 50-50 joint venture. The companies have initiated negotiations and an agreement is likely to be signed by the end of October 2009. If and when the deal is finalized, Deutsche Telekom’s British subsidiary T-Mobile UK will combine with France Telecom’s Orange UK in a historic merger. In the proposed deal, Deutsche Telekom will contribute T-Mobile UK, including the unit’s 50% stake in the 3G wireless joint venture with Hutchison, while France Telecom will add its UK broadband Internet business along with the wireless operation. The companies are likely to retain the Orange and T-Mobile brands for now to prevent customer defection. A new brand, however, is expected within two years. The British mobile market is one of the most fiercely competitive markets in Europe. Currently, Spanish telecom ...