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Management stated that DeVry's strong first quarter results were driven by a strategic plan to increase enrollment through improved marketing and recruiting. The acquisition of U.S. Education also helps this strategic plan by allowing DeVry to further diversify its educational offerings. The company is confident that it should be able to continue maximizing shareholder value and achieving long-term growth goals despite a tough economy due to its diversified portfolio. It is important to remember that a quick ratio of 0.69 indicates a potential problem in covering short-term cash needs. In addition, the company shows low profit margins. All the same, we feel that the strengths detailed above are enough to outweigh any potential weaknesses at this time.

California Water Service Group(CWT Quote) is a holding company that provides water utility and other related services in California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii through its subsidiaries. We upgraded California Water Service Group to a buy in August 2008. Our rating is based on a number of company strengths, including its revenue and net income growth, impressive record of earnings per share (EPS) growth, expanding profit margins, and good cash flow from operations.

For the third quarter of fiscal 2008, the company's revenue rose 15.7% year-over-year. Revenue growth appears to have helped boost EPS, which improved over the past year from $0.67 to $1.06. Net income also increased when compared to the same quarter a year ago, climbing 60.6% from $13.81 million to $22.19 million. We consider the company's gross profit margin of 37.60% to be strong. It has increased from the same quarter of fiscal 2007. In addition, the net profit margin of 16.80% is above that of the industry average. Furthermore, net operating cash flow has increased significantly, rising 86.56% to $48.26 million.