Top Performing Stocks for the Week Ended Oct 31

The five best performing stocks on the Zacks #1 Rank List last week were: Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (WINN - Snapshot Report), 99 Cents Only Stores (NDN - Snapshot Report), Lufkin Industries, Inc. (LUFK - Snapshot Report), Axsys Technologies, Inc. (AXYS) and Perfect World Co., Ltd. (PWRD - Snapshot Report).

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (WINN - Snapshot Report) was a top-performing Zacks #1 Rank company for last week as shares gained 37.6%. In just the past 7 days, earnings estimates for this fiscal year, ending June 2009, jumped to a profit of 3 cents from a loss of 3 cents.

The grocer announced that fiscal first-quarter net sales improved 3.4% to $1.7 billion. In addition, identical-store sales advanced 3% due in part to customers stocking up on goods in front of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, as well as Tropical Storm Fay. WINN also announced a loss of 4 cents per share in the quarter, which was a much narrower loss than the consensus was expecting.

99 Cents Only Stores (NDN - Snapshot Report) looks to be in a good position to attract customers during this tough economic period. Shares increased 27.4% last week, putting the discount retailer on the Zacks #1 Rank Top Performers List. Earnings estimates for this fiscal year, ending March 2009, are up 38.5% over the past 2 months and 5.9% over the past 30 days. NDN, which reached new 52-week highs last week, was featured as a Momentum Stock of the Day at Zacks.com on Oct 27.

The company will report its fiscal second-quarter results later this week. In early October, NDN pre-announced total sales of $317.8 million for the quarter, marking a year-over-year advance of 9.2% from $290.9 million. Same-store sales were up 4.7%, as it continued to attract new customers.

Lufkin Industries, Inc. (LUFK - Snapshot Report) was featured as a Value Stock of the Day at Zacks.com on Oct 30. The analyst's earnings estimate for this year is up 2.6% over the past 2 months, including a rise of 1.7% in 30 days. Shares for the oilfield services and equipment company advanced 21.1% last week, which made it a top-performing Zacks #1 Rank.

In mid-October, LUFK announced solid third-quarter numbers, fueled by strong order bookings and improved volume leverage. Earnings from continuing operations rose to $1.66, which beat the consensus by more than 5%. The result also marked a solid year-over-year advance. Revenues jumped 42% to $195.1 million from $137.5 million. The company also raised its EPS from continuing operations guidance for 2008 to between $5.65 and $5.85, compared to its earlier outlook of $5.50 to $5.70.

Axsys Technologies, Inc. (AXYS) was added to the Focus List last week, and made the Zacks #1 Rank Top Performers List with shares that gained 20.5%. Earnings estimates for this year are up 12.7% in 2 months and 8.5% in 30 days. Expectations for next year advanced 2.6% in 30 days, and are presently expected to improve approximately 18.2% over this year.

On Oct 22, AXYS announced third-quarter earnings per share from continuing operations of 71 cents, which beat the year-ago result of 34 cents while also topping the consensus by almost 27%. Sales improved to $64.8 million from $45.2 million last year, driven primarily by continued strong demand for infrared cameras and lenses. AXYS also raised its full-year 2008 guidance, while establishing a 2009 guidance. The company is a global leader in the design and development of high-performance surveillance cameras, imaging systems and related motion control technologies.

Perfect World Co., Ltd. (PWRD - Snapshot Report), a leading online game developer and operator in China, is scheduled to report its third-quarter results next week. For its second quarter, the company reported an earnings surprise of more than 13% over the consensus, continuing its solid record of better-than-expected results. Meanwhile, total revenues advanced more than 10%.

PWRD was a top-performing Zacks #1 Rank last week as shares climbed 20.1%. Earnings estimates for this year are also on the rise, gaining 3.6% in 3 months and 1.2% in the past 30 days. In addition, analysts currently expect next year's profit to improve approximately 29% over this year.