Astoria Gets Nod for Value Investing

Astoria Financial Corp. "may actually benefit from the mortgage turmoil" and is a good buy for value investors, according to Zacks.com. In its Jan. 4 list of Zacks Rank Buy Stocks, the research firm said Astoria may benefit from the turmoil because it doesn't have to sell loans. "Rather, it keeps them in a portfolio while many other banks are going out of business," Zacks said. "The stock is attractively priced at 13.7 times 2008 [earnings] estimates." Every day, Zacks.com highlights four stocks based on how well they match the criteria for four kinds of investing: aggressive growth, growth and income, momentum, and value. The research company can be found online at http://www.zacks.com.