Zacks Releases Four Powerful ''Buy'' Stocks: Briggs & Stratton Corp., Techne Corp., NCI and Zhongpin

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: Briggs & Stratton Corp. (NYSE: BGG), Techne Corp. (Nasdaq: TECH), NCI, Inc. (Nasdaq: NCIT) and Zhongpin, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOGS).

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 – Briggs & Stratton Corp. (NYSE: BGG)

Briggs & Stratton Corp. has just announced an earnings surprise on Oct 16. The company is also expanding through acquisition in Australia and New Zealand.

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

Growth & Income – Techne Corp. (Nasdaq: TECH)

Techne Corp., a Zacks #1 Rank (“strong buy”), recently declared a quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share thanks to the company’s solid performance. Techne is yielding 1.5%, which is well ahead of the industry average as most of the company’s industry peers pay no dividend.

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

Momentum – NCI, Inc. (Nasdaq: NCIT)

NCI, Inc. is producing consistent results in a tough environment, having surprised and beaten analyst estimates in each of the last four quarters.

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

Value – Zhongpin, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOGS)

Zhongpin saw revenues soar 116% to a new record in the third quarter as the company continues to expand pork production. HOGS has surprised on estimates 3 out of the last 4 quarters on average of 7.25%. The company is cheap. HOGS is trading at only 5.7x forward earnings.

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.