The Advisory Board Company and Northern Technologies International Corp.

Thursday brought one of the worst days for the market since the financial crisis during the fall of 2008. While screens were bleeding red, there were a handful of Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks that finished in the green.

One such stock was The Advisory Board Company (ABCO - Snapshot Report), which gained 3.6%.

The Advisory Board Company provides best practices research and analysis to the health care industry, focusing on business strategy, operations and general management issues.

Shares continued to climb after jumping 14% on Wednesday after The Blackstone Group (BX - Snapshot Report) agreed to buy out ABCO's competitor Emdeon (EM). Rumors started swirling that other acquisitions could be on the horizon.

The company also reported better than expected results for the second quarter of 2011 on August 2. Earnings per share came in at 40 cents, well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 33 cents. Revenue jumped 22% year-over-year to $81.6 million, also beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate, which was $80.0 million.

Management raised its guidance off of the strong quarter, prompting analysts to revise their estimates higher too.

Shares currently trade at 34.7x 12-month forward earnings, in-line with its 10-year median.

Another Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stock finishing higher despite the carnage on Wall Street was Northern Technologies International Corp. (NTIC - Snapshot Report). Shares rose 3.4%.

Northern Technologies International Corporation manufactures and sells rust and corrosion inhibiting products, and custom packaging systems across the globe.

The small cap stock is thinly traded and shares have whipped around since the company reported its results for the third quarter on July 13. Earnings per share came in at 23 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. It was an 8% increase over the same quarter in 2010. Net sales jumped 58% year-over-year due to increased sales of ZERUST rust and corrosion inhibiting packaging products and services.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for both 2011 and 2012 moved higher off of the strong quarter, sending the stock to a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy).

Shares currently trade at 15.0x 2011 earnings, also in-line with its 10-year median.

To see the full list of Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks click here.

Todd Bunton is the Growth & Income Stock Strategist for Zacks Investment Research.

Read the full analyst report on NTIC

Read the full analyst report on ABCO