Zacks Industry Rank Analysis Highlights: Cummins, CSX Corporation, PetroChina and Statoil ASA.

CHICAGO -- Zacks.com releases the latest Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks featured in this week's analysis include Cummins (NYSE: CMI), CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX), PetroChina (NYSE: PTR) and Statoil ASA (NYSE: STO). To see the Zacks Industry Rank and the trend in earnings estimates revisions for

Zacks Industry Rank Analysis written by Charles Rotblut, CFA, Senior Market Analyst for Zacks.com.

Over the weekend, we launched a redesigned Zacks.com and a new service, Zacks Premium. Included in Zacks Premium are new industry analysis tools, including an interactive Zacks Industry Rank List. (To learn more about Zacks Premium, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=2985).

The Zacks Industry Rank List now allows Zacks Premium and ZacksAdvisor.com subscribers to research stocks in specific industry groups with just a few mouse clicks.

The new list has two new columns: Rank and 1-Week Change. These columns provide a numerical frame of reference for how a group's Industry Rank compares to the Industry Rank for all other industry groups. For instance, Textile-Products has the best Industry Rank of 1.50 out of all 208 industry groups and therefore appears in the top spot.

Because Industry Rank is the average Zacks Rank of all stocks within a specific group, industries with fewer stocks will often appear above groups with a larger number of stocks.

For instance, Engines-Internal Combustion has just one stock: Cummins (NYSE: CMI). Because CMI is a Zacks #2 Rank stock, Engines-Internal Combustion has a Zacks Industry Rank of 2.0. A little further down the list is Oil-International Integrated, which contains 19 stocks. Although this latter group does have five Zacks #1 Rank stocks, including PetroChina (NYSE: PTR) and Statoil ASA (NYSE: STO), its Zacks Industry Rank is 2.32 because 12 stocks have a Zacks Rank of #3.

The remaining six columns are basically the same as the older version of the list. We've added the number of companies within an industry next to each group's name. The Zacks Industry Rank, % of Positive Revisions (formerly labeled "Net % of FY06 Revised Up"), Positive Revisions (formerly labeled "Estimates Revised Up") and Negative Revisions (formerly labeled "Estimates Revised Down") have been carried over.

The new list can also be sorted by any of the column headings. For instance, if you want to sort by % of Positive Revisions, just click on the column heading and you will the see the results displayed accordingly. Click on the same column header a second time, and you can change the order of sorting from ascending to descending. (A small red triangle shows the order in which the column is sorted; an upward triangle means ascending and downward triangle means descending.)

Clicking on an industry group calls up a new table that displays all of the stocks within the group.

The Zacks Rank in Industry table includes a list of the companies within a group and relevant information about each company. Clicking on the ticker symbol for any stock calls up our new pop-up quote menu, which provides a brief analysis of the stock and links to real-time quotes, earnings estimate data, financial statements, brand new interactive charts, and other valuable information.

The Zacks Rank in Industry table also includes a link to reports from Zacks Equity Research. Our internal research staff of 50 analysts covers 1,150 companies and provides institutional quality reports on these companies. For instance, the Zacks Rank in Industry table for Transportation-Rail contains a link to the report about CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) - a stock that our analysts recently reiterated as a "Buy".

To see the Zacks Industry Rank List, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=2563.

About Zacks Industry Rank and the Zacks Rank

Zacks Industry Rank is calculated by averaging the Zacks Rank for all covered companies within a given industry. The Zacks Rank is assigned to approximately 4400 stocks and ranges from #1 ("Strong Buy") to #5 ("Strong Sell"). Both the Zacks Industry Rank and the Zacks Rank are quantitative indicators designed to cover periods of 1-3 months.

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 +33%. 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 129.7% annually (+5.2% vs. +11.9%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

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About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros by going to http://at.zacks.com/?id=2565.

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(a) The Zacks Performance Rank performance is the total return of equal weighted simulated portfolios consisting of those stocks with the indicated Zacks Rank net of fees. Results reflect the reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. Simulated results do not represent actual trading and may not reflect the impact that economic and market factors might have had on decision-making if an adviser were actually managing a client's money.

(b) The S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks selected by Standard & Poor's. The S&P 500 includes the reinvestment of all dividends, no transaction costs, and represents the gross returns before management fees.

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.