CHICAGO, Jul 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM), Kinross Gold Corp's (KGC), Morton's Restaurants (NYSE: MRT), Anesiva, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANSV) and Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LECO).

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Here are highlights from Tuesday's Analyst Blog:

Costs Balance Agnico-Eagle Mines

Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) reported first quarter EPS of $0.20, below our estimate of $0.22 and down 13.0% y-o-y, primarily due to higher production and general and administrative costs.

However, gold prices remain high and higher byproduct prices are lowering total cash costs, i.e., production costs net of by-product credits. In addition, the company also has a healthy pipeline of long-term projects to boost gold production. Nonetheless, AEM is incurring heavy exploration costs due to these gold development projects, which will negatively impact the cash position this year. We reiterate our Hold rating on shares of AEM.

For 2008, total cash costs per ounce are expected to be approximately $50 only, with the y-o-y difference in part attributable to higher production costs associated with gold sourced from new mines at the Goldex mine project and the Kittila mine project, which do not contain any by-product metals.

Long-term project funding comes from a healthy cash flow generation. Moreover, the company's balance sheet remains strong. With four gold projects under construction, AEM remains well-positioned to achieve its goal of a 55% y-o-y increase in gold production to 358,000 ounces in 2008.

We have valued Agnico-Eagle using the P/E valuation metrics. Currently, shares of Agnico-Eagle are trading at 70.1x our 2008 EPS estimate of $0.94, at a significant premium to the industry median and its peer, Kinross Gold Corp's (KGC) multiple. Our target price of $66.50 is based on a P/E of about 70.7x our 2008 earnings estimate of $0.94 per share.

Expect Morton's to Market Perform

Morton's Restaurants' (NYSE: MRT) reputation for serving world-class food and hospitality will remain strong and drive sales longer-term. We think when the economy improves in the late 2009-2010 time frame, Morton's can grow earnings at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 10% to 13% by adding new units and growing same-store sales through increased boardroom utilization, and modest price increases.

However, the restaurant industry's profits are suffering from higher costs and declining traffic, and Morton's is no exception. We have noted in the past that Morton's extreme reliance on corporate spending and moderate financial leverage will work in reverse as the economy slows down. At this point, visibility to the second half of 2008 and 2009 earnings is murky and therefore we think the risk/reward is not favorable.

Anesiva Still a Great Value

We are pleased with the recent positive developments at Anesiva, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANSV). The company finally launched Zingo, a local anesthetic we see having at least $200 million potential, on June 30. We are big fans of Zingo and expect the stock to outperform once the market comes to grips with the product potential. The development of Adlea, a potential billion-dollar blockbuster for post-surgical pain, is also progressing nicely in phase III trials.

We think things are going very well for Anesiva. The management continues to operate on plan and 2008 is shaping up to be a banner year. Yet, the stock has languished. Wall Street has yet to take notice and we think that represents an attractive opportunity for small-cap biotech investors. We are reiterating our Buy rating.

Lincoln Electric at a Premium

Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LECO) is a leading manufacturer and reseller of welding and cutting products. The company has spent the last couple of years shifting manufacturing facilities to low-cost countries and expanding production capabilities to fast-growing markets in China and India.

Going forward, we expect LECO to benefit from the welding product demand created by the boom in infrastructure spending, especially in the oil & gas sector. But, there is always the risk that projects could get delayed if commodity prices collapse. Given the macro risks, we initiate coverage of LECO with a Hold and a price target of $80.00 per share, which is 15.5x our FY08 estimate of $5.16.

Lincoln is benefiting from the increase in energy-related projects that drive demand for its industrial welding machines and consumables. The oil & gas infrastructure spending continues to drive sales and offset the weakness in soldering and brazing products from the U.S housing slowdown. The same goes for Europe. In Latin America, sales have grown by more than 30% in the last couple of quarters. The Middle East economies are also spending strongly on energy-related investments.

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Zacks.com Mark Vickery
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Copyright Business Wire 2008 **********************************************************************
   As of Saturday, 06-28-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend� Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated an
   UPTREND on 06-27-2008 for AEM @ $72.49. As of Saturday, 06-28-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend Alert, an automated
   pattern recognition system, indicated a DOWNTREND on 06-20-2008 for ANSV @ $2.88. As of Saturday, 06-28-2008 23:59, the latest
   Comtex SmarTrend Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated an UPTREND on 06-26-2008 for KGC @ $21.13. For
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