MEMPHIS, Tenn., (May 22, 2006) –Three Morgan Keegan & Company equity analysts were recognized in The Wall Street Journal’s Best on the Street 2006 Analysts Survey published May 22, 2006. Art Hatfield and Holly Guthrie ranked No.1 in their respective industry sectors and Bob Derrington placed fourth among analysts in the restaurant industry.
Award-winning analysts in The Best on the Street survey were ranked solely on their stock-picking skill. Overall, Morgan Keegan ranked 29th in total awards won from the field of 72 research firms included in this year’s survey, and eighth among the 47 firms with 10 or more analysts qualifying for the survey. Morgan Keegan’s equity analysts have been recognized in this survey 12 out of the 14 years it has been published.
"Once again, we are very pleased to see our analysts receive national recognition for their hard work," said Patrick Kruczek, managing director and director of equity research at Morgan Keegan. "They do their jobs exceedingly well with integrity and enthusiasm, and they always put the best interests of the investor first."
Hatfield took the top spot among 25 industrial transportation analysts. This is the fourth time that Hatfield, a chartered financial analyst, has been recognized in The Wall Street Journal’s annual rankings. He was recently recognized in Forbes.com/StarMine 2005 rankings of Wall Street’s Best Brokerage Analysts for his stock-picking skill, the third consecutive year for this honor. Hatfield, a managing director in the firm’s Memphis headquarters office, focuses on regional and short-line railroads, rail supply companies, less-than-truckload carriers and the air freight industry.
Guthrie, who follows the soft-lines retail industry for Morgan Keegan, ranked No.1 among 58 retailers: broad line & apparel analysts. A two-time Best on the Street analyst, she was the No.1 stock picker across all industries in the Forbes.com/StarMine 2004 rankings. A senior vice president in the firm’s Equity Capital Markets office in New York, Guthrie has 17 years of diverse analytical experience as a sell-side equity analyst, buy-side analyst and portfolio manager.
Derrington placed fourth among 31 restaurant analysts. He has been a Best on the Street analyst four times since 2000. Derrington was recently ranked theNo. 2 earnings estimator among analysts for the restaurant industry in the Forbes.com/StarMine 2005 rankings. A managing director in the firm’s Equity Capital Markets office in Nashville, TN, he joined Morgan Keegan in 2001.
Morgan Keegan & Company Inc.
Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., one of the nation’s largest regional full-service brokerage and investment banking firms, is the securities brokerage arm of Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF). Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., Morgan Keegan has some 280 offices. Additional information about Morgan Keegan can be found at www.morgankeegan.com.
Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE: RF), headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., is a full-service provider of retail and commercial banking, trust, securities brokerage, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions had $84.6 billion in assets as of March 31, 2006, making it one of the nation’s Top 15 banks. Regions’ banking subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates some 1,300 offices and a 1,600-ATM network across a 16-state geographic footprint in the South, Midwest and Texas. Additional information about Regions, which is a member of both the Forbes and Fortune 500 and has one of the top mortgage companies in the United States, can be found at www.regions.com.
Contact
Gail Rimer
Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc.
901/524-4183
