CHICAGO--()--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: Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC), Ford (NYSE: F), eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), Kimco Realty (NYSE: KIM) and Town Sports International Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CLUB).
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 Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Visteon Target Lowered to $0
Michigan-based Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) is one of the world's largest automotive component manufacturers, catering to both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the aftermarket. The company has 41,500 employees with 170 facilities in 26 countries across North America, South America, Europe, South Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
Visteon's near-term prospects have been dampened by constant production cuts at Ford (NYSE: F), higher costs, decline in global vehicle production, and an unforeseen industry scenario.
eBay's Q4 Sales $90 Million Off
eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY) 4th quarter sales were about $90 million shy of our forecast, but its EPS was $0.03 ahead. The EPS upside was due to a lower tax rate and a lower share count.
What's more, management's outlook for the first quarter of 2009 was well below expectations. eBay expects to have sales of $1.80 billion to $2.05 billion and pro forma EPS of $0.32-$0.34.
Kimco Realty Downgraded
Operationally, Kimco Realty's (NYSE: KIM) portfolio continues to perform well. KIM continues to sign new leases at higher rents and most of the company's current leases are at below market rents. In addition, the company has adequate liquidity on its line of credit to address 2009 debt maturities.
We think KIM is one of the best-positioned retail REITs in the continued economic downturn. KIM has a geographically diverse portfolio with concentrations in high income, high growth areas. We are changing our current recommendation to hold due to macroeconomic factors.
CLUB's Valuation Attractive
Town Sports International Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CLUB) is a fitness leader in the markets in which it operates, including the metro areas of New York, Boston, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. We believe that the company's strategy of clustering locations throughout a metro area will continue to generate strong results.
Despite significantly tempered expectations in light of the current recession, we consider the shares of CLUB to be undervalued at current levels. Shares of CLUB are trading at approximately 3.8x our 2009 EBITDA estimate, a multiple which we consider to be excessively low.
Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2649.
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=2677
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=4580.
Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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.

