Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan

Shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Inc. (POT - Analyst Report) have risen since the company was last featured as Growth & Income pick. The Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) name posted fourth-quarter earnings of $1.16 per share, soaring past the year-prior result. Potash noted that this was the highest quarterly earnings in company history. The result was also 16% ahead of the consensus estimate. Full-year earnings estimates have been on the rise. Wall Street is currently forecasting 2008 earnings of $7.22 per share, which is higher than the projections released in early January when the company was last featured and above the two months-ago level $5.74. Read our Jan 07, 2008 analysis.

Updates to Previous Growth and Income Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. (WW) is also a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) company that is also trading higher than it was when previously featured in mid-November. Earnings expectations for the 2008 have been increasing as well. All five covering analysts raised last month’s estimates from $3.06 per share to $3.17. This forecast is also higher than the projection of mid-November. Read our Nov 12, 2007 analysis.

Last Week’s Growth and Income Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

CA, Inc. (CA) is a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) company that offers both growth and income. The company’s ROE of 17% exceeds the industry average of 10%. CA recently declared a regular, quarterly cash dividend of four cents per share. The company’s dividend yield of 0.7% is a competitive one within its industry as the technology/software space is not one that normally offers dividends. In late January, CA reported fiscal third-quarter non-GAAP earnings of 36 cents per share, eclipsing last year’s 24 cents and surpassing the consensus estimate by a healthy 44%. Read the full analysis on CA.

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (LLL) is a terrific Growth and Income play. Thanks to its strong cash flow, the company upped its dividend by 20% while continuing to invest in growth through internal initiatives and acquisitions. L-3 reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1.63 per share in late January, outpacing the previous year’s $1.37 and exceeding the consensus estimate by three cents. Consolidated net sales grew by 12.4% from the year-ago quarter. Analysts are upbeat on L-3 and have increased full-year 2008 earnings projections over the past 60 trading days. Read the full analysis on LLL.

Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NUS) is in the late stages of a restructuring program that has enabled it to pursue new business in the potentially lucrative Chinese markets of Beijing and Shanghai. While this development did slightly dampen its most recent quarterly results with a hefty one-time charge, it also provides the company with a very nice opportunity to cash in on the emerging-market growth cycle. Read the full analysis on NUS.

MasterCard, Inc. (MA), which recently declared a quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per share, is yielding 0.3%. This yield is ahead of the industry average as MA operates in an industry that virtually offers no dividends. The Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) company’s fourth-quarter and full-year results showed solid year-over-year improvement in both earnings and revenues for the quarter and the full year. The company‘s return on equity (ROE) of 27% more than doubles the industry’s average of 12%. MasterCard’s net profit margin of 26.7% crushes the industry’s average of 4%. Read the full analysis on MA.