Zacks Earnings Preview: The New York Times, Hartford Insurance, AutoNation, Electronic Arts and Allstate

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – February 8, 2010 – Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week’s list includes The New York Times (NYT - Analyst Report), Hartford Insurance (HIG - Analyst Report), AutoNation (AN - Analyst Report), Electronic Arts (ERTS) and Allstate (ALL - Analyst Report). To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

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Heavy Earnings Reports Continue

Potential Positive Surprises

Historically, the best indicators of firms which are likely to report positive surprises are a recent history of positive surprises and rising estimates going into the report. The Zacks Rank is also a good indicator of potential surprises. While normally firms that report better-than-expected earnings rise in reaction, that has not been the case so far this quarter. Some of the companies that have these characteristics include:

The New York Times (NYT - Analyst Report) is expected to report EPS of $0.04, down from $0.36 per share a year ago. Last time out, NYT posted a positive surprise of 700% (OK, it was a very low base, so take that percentage with a grain of salt) and over the last month the mean estimate for its fourth quarter earnings is up 3.80%. NYT has a Zacks Rank of 1.

Hartford Insurance (HIG - Analyst Report) is expected to report EPS before non-recurring items of $0.62, up from a loss of $0.72 a year ago. In the 3Q, HIG posted a positive surprise of 45.8% and over the last month, the consensus estimate for its 4Q earnings is up 71.0%. HIG is a Zacks Rank #1 stock.

AutoNation (AN - Analyst Report) is expected to earn $0.20 per share this year, up from $0.12 a year ago. In the third quarter they posted a 2.86% positive surprise. Over the last month, the mean estimate for the 4Q is up 4.3%. AN holds a Zacks #2 rank.

Potential Negative Surprises

Electronic Arts (ERTS) is expected to earn $0.25 a share this quarter, down from $0.42 last year. They disappointed by 33.3% last time out, and analysts have cut the estimate for this quarter by 53.11% over the last month. The stock holds a Zacks Rank of 4.

Allstate (ALL - Analyst Report) is expected to report EPS of $0.09 down from EPS of $0.97 last year. Last quarter they reported in line with expectations. Over the past month analysts have cut the estimate for this Zacks #4 ranked stock by 1.76%.

Dirk Van Dijk, CFA, is the Chief Equity Strategist for Zacks.com.

About the Zacks Rank

Since 1988, the Zacks Rank has proven that "Earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices." Since inception in 1988, #1 Rank Stocks have generated an average annual return of +26%. During the 2000-2002 bear market, Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained +43.8%, while the S&P 500 tumbled -37.6%. Also note that the Zacks Rank system has just as many Strong Sell recommendations (Rank #5) as Strong Buy recommendations (Rank #1). Since 1988, Zacks Rank #5 stocks have underperformed the S&P 500 by 111% annually (-0.8% versus +8%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

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Contact: Dirk Van Dijk, CFA
Company: Zacks.com
Phone: 312-265-9211
Email: pr@zacks.com
Visit: www.Zacks.com

Read the full analyst report on NYT

Read the full analyst report on HIG

Read the full analyst report on AN

Read the full analyst report on ERTS

Read the full analyst report on ALL