Zacks.com releases another list of stocks that are currently members of the coveted Zacks #1 Ranked list which has produced an average annual return of +33.6% since 1988 and has gained +13.3% annually since 2000 as the markets have been tumbling down. Among the #1 ranked stocks is Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII). Here is a synopsis of why these stocks have a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). Note that a #1 Strong Buy rating is applied to 5% of all the stocks we rank:

From the report:
Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII) operates company owned rent-to-own stores that offer high-quality, durable goods such as consumer electronics, appliances, furniture and accessories to consumers under flexible rental purchase arrangements that allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed-upon rental period. Over the past three months, Rent-A-Center's earnings estimates for this year and next have improved by approximately +6% and +9% respectively, with analysts expecting next year's results to be about +16% better than this year's. In its first quarter 2003 report from late April, Rent-A-Center posted net earnings of $1.42 per diluted share on total revenues of $566.4 million, marking increases of +17% and +13.6% respectively over year-ago totals. The earnings result also met Wall Street's expectations. The company appears to be moving in the right direction and may be a good addition to your portfolio.