Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Arena Resources, McDonald's, Circor...

Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Arena Resources, McDonald's, Circor International and CenturyTel

CHICAGO--(Business Wire)--
Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com.
The industry's leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks
#1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four
main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income,
Momentum, and Value.

The four highlighted picks are: Arena Resources (NYSE: ARD),
McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD), Circor International (NYSE: CIR) and
CenturyTel (NYSE: CTL).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Four
daily picks are offered free at http://at.zacks.com/?id=88.

Zacks #1 Rank Stocks have nearly tripled the S&P 500 since 1988,
producing an average annual return of +30%. Performance has been
notable even during volatile and down times. For example, during the
last bear market, 2000-2002, the market tumbled -37.6% - but Zacks #1
Rank stocks gained +43.8%.

Here is a summary of today's selected stocks that are now highly
rated by Zacks:

Aggressive Growth - Arena Resources (NYSE: ARD)

Earnings estimates for Arena Resources, Inc. are up 22% over the
past month. Much of this can be attributed to a strong first-quarter
performance. Oil & gas revenues soared 172% while earnings per share
topped the consensus by 8.5%.

Zacks Guide to Aggressive Growth Investing (free!):
http://at.zacks.com/?id=4309

Growth & Income - McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD)

McDonald's sees strong global growth as international sales rose
7.4% in the first quarter. By industry standards, the company pays an
attractive dividend with a yield of 2.60%. MCD has surprised on
earnings each of the last four quarters by an average of 6.08%.

Zacks Guide to Growth & Income Investing (free!):
http://at.zacks.com/?id=4310

Momentum - Circor International (NYSE: CIR)

Brokerage analysts are well aware of Circor International's
admirable attributes and have raised their earnings estimates for both
2008 and 2009 over the past 60 days. Trades have also noticed and
pushed the stock to an area where there is no readily identifiable
resistance above its current share price. CIR is a Zacks #1 Rank
("strong buy") stock.

Zacks Guide to Momentum Investing (free!):
http://at.zacks.com/?id=4311

Value - CenturyTel (NYSE: CTL)

CenturyTel is growing its broadband and fiber network and added
30,000 new high-speed Internet customers in the first quarter. The
company has surprised on estimates each of the last four quarters on
average of 8.92%. CenturyTel has a 2008 P/E of 11.00.

Zacks Guide to Value Investing (free!):
http://at.zacks.com/?id=4312

How to Regularly Access Picks from the Zacks Rank Discovery for
Free: http://at.zacks.com/?id=88

Underlying the four free stock picks is a simple truth that first
appeared in a Financial Analysts Journal article published in 1979.
Leonard Zacks, a Ph.D. in Mathematics from M.I.T. found that "earnings
estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock
prices." Zacks #1 Rank is awarded to a stock when analysts sharply
upgrade their estimates of what the company will earn.

Today, Zacks is promoting its stock recommendations by offering
four daily picks free to those who register at
http://at.zacks.com/?id=88.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which
was formed in 1978 by Len Zacks. The company continually processes
stock reports issued by 3,000 analysts from 150 brokerage firms. It
monitors more than 200,000 earnings estimates, looking for changes.

Then, when changes are discovered, they're applied to help assign
more than 4,400 stocks into five Zacks Rank categories: #1 Strong Buy,
#2 Buy, #3 Hold, #4 Sell, and #5 Strong Sell. This proprietary
stock-picking system continues to outperform the market by a nearly
3-to-1 margin.

More Free Stock Picks

Each weekday, new Zacks #1 Rank or Zacks #2 Rank stock picks are
released on the free email newsletter, Profit from the Pros. Investors
are invited to register for their free subscription at
http://at.zacks.com/?id=91.

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated
entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which
may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the
clients of such affiliates.

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.

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

Zacks.com
Aggressive Growth Stocks:
Jim Giaquinto
Phone: 312-265-9268
or
Growth & Income Stocks:
Alex Kolb
Phone: 312-265-9149
or
Momentum Stocks:
Michael Vodicka
Phone: 312-265-9226
or
Value Stocks:
Tracey Ryniec
Phone: 312-265-9232
Email: pr@zacks.com
Visit: www.zacks.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008