Zacks’ Discount Fundamental Strength Strategy Highlights: Air Methods, Centennial Communications, Trinity Biotech, Continucare

2009-06-25 23:08:04 -

Combining strong underlying fundamentals with low valuations can lower risk and increase portfolio returns. Zacks’ Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track strategy has generated double-digit returns for six consecutive years, including a 34% gain in 2006. For the first month of 2007, this Profit Track returned 7.3%. Four stocks that currently have both fundamental strength and discounted valuations are: Air Methods Corp. (NASDAQ: AIRM : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ), Centennial Communications Corp. ( CYCL : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ), Trinity Biotech plc (NASDAQ: TRIB : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ), Continucare Corp. (AMEX: CNU : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ). View the entire list of stocks for the Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track at at.zacks.com/?id=2142 : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fat. .. .

Here are details about four companies currently identified by the Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track.



Air Methods Corp. (NASDAQ: AIRM : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ) reported year-over-year first quarter earnings of 41 cents per share, compared to 12 cents per share. The Zacks #1 Rank company also enjoys a price/sales ratio of .65 and a debt/equity ratio of .47. Moreover, a PEG ratio of .63 and a five-year average Return on Assets of 5.28% suggest that the company trades at a discount despite being fundamentally solid.
AIRM provides air medical emergency transport services and systems throughout North America.



Centennial Communications Corp. ( CYCL : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ) is one of the largest independent wireless communications providers in the United States and Puerto Rico that earned its place on the Discounted Fundamental Strength profit track with a PEG ratio of .70 and a current ratio 1.77. Moreover, CYCL enjoys a price/sales ratio of .88 and a five-year average Return on Assets of 1.70%. CYCL finished the third quarter with earnings of 18 cents per share, compared to the last year earnings of 6 cents and delivered a 125% surprise.


Trinity Biotech plc (NASDAQ: TRIB : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ) qualifies for this profit track with a current ratio of 2.14 and a price/sales ratio of .66, bettering this screen’s parameters of greater than 1.5 and less than 1, respectively. In addition, the company has an average Return on Assets of 3.14% over the past five years and a PEG ratio of .70. The company reported first quarter results, with year-over-year net earnings of 12 cents per share, compared to 6 cents.
TRIB develops, acquires, manufactures, and markets medical diagnostic products for the clinical laboratory and point-of-care segments of the diagnostic market worldwide.


Continucare Corp. (AMEX: CNU : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ) delivered a 16.67% surprise in the third quarter, with earnings 7 cents per share. Over the past five years, the company has averaged a Return on Assets of 20.04%. However, this fundamentally-solid company still trades at a discount, as evidenced by its PEG ratio of .73. CNU provides a continuum of outpatient and ancillary healthcare services.

Discover all the stocks currently on the Discounted Fundamental Strength Profit Track at: at.zacks.com/?id=2143 : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fat. .. .



About Profit Tracks



What is a "Profit Track"? Each Profit Track is a successful stock picking strategy with proven results through the Bear Market of 2001-2002 and the Bull run started in 2003. On Zacks.com we have created these nine unique screens to offer investors great strategies to potentially outperform the market in the years ahead. In 2006, the Low Price Stocks strategy was the top performing Profit Track with a return of +56.5% followed by the Discounted Fundamental screen with a +34% return. To see all nine strategies along with philosophy, past performance and current stocks, go to at.zacks.com/?id=1838 : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fat. .. .

All the Profit Track strategies were created and backtested using the Research Wizard software from Zacks Investment Research. If you like this screening strategy, but want to narrow down the list of stocks and even improve the performance, then you should start a free trial to this powerful stock picking tool. Learn more about the Research Wizard free trial offer and our new special report “Top 10 Stock Screening Strategies” at at.zacks.com/?id=4630 : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fat. .. .



About Zacks

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Alla KushnerCompany: Zacks.comPhone: 312-265-9208Email:
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