Energizer trades for 16 times expected earnings, versus 19 for P&G and other consumer concerns. The stock could rally about 30%, to 125, as the Playtex purchase pays off.

Unilever's American depositary receipts could jump 25% or more as the once-sleepy company carries out its plans.

The main knock on Sanderson is that chickens eat corn, and corn prices are setting new highs. This seems the basis for the large short position in Sanderson -- a full 20% of its float, or nearly seven days' average share volume. Yet investment advisor Andrew Horowitz, author of the recent book The Disciplined Investor, notes that over time Sanderson shares and corn prices have been positively correlated, indicating an ability to pass through feed costs. Given that chicken is a cheaper protein to begin with, Sanderson should have some headroom on pricing. Merrill Lynch economists note that poultry prices have risen 8.3% at retail. This all suggests that the poultry cycle has some distance to run before the next peak. At the top of the last cycle in 2004, Sanderson, with less production capacity, earned $4.58 and the stock hit 55. So a run back into the 40s hardly seems a stretch

With nearly 10% of available shares sold short, the stock can still run up on short covering in the near term. Bulls also hope that prices for processed fats and greases will continue to climb alongside those for vegetable oils, or at least for the gap between the two to close. The passage of a farm bill that provides biodiesel tax credits also should help, but after that the list of stock-goosing catalysts begins to thin. Street analysts already are overwhelmingly bullish about Darling. After last week's pop, shares trading near 14 are straining their uniformly bullish consensus target. Today, shares fetch 21.1 times 2008 earnings, well above its historical norm and the 16.3 times average for the agricultural- products segment, and not far from the 22.9 times multiple commanded by agri-titans like Potash. Now that it's a darling to so many, the smarter move may be to pass.

At about 46.50, the 119-year-old company's ADRs trade at 18.6 times projected 2008 profits -- not obviously cheap, but more approachable compared with the 26.4 multiple for the red-hot construction and engineer group. While Street analysts are largely bullish on the stock, it still trades 30% shy of their consensus target. A debt-free balance sheet further enhance its appeal as a safe, solid bet in an increasingly wobbly world.

Credit Suisse rates Nucor Outperform, and on Tuesday increased its 12-month price target to $80 from $75 (it was $64.5 on Friday.) Also, Nucor's 2008 earnings estimate was upped to $6.18 from $5.93, and to $6.95 from $6.15 in 2009. Gagliano, the analyst, believes the stock is "structurally undervalued based on our view [that Nucor] has sustainable earnings power of $6 to $7 per share beyond 2008 and 2009." To super-charge potential returns, Sveinn Palsson, a Credit Suisse derivatives strategist, likes buying Nucor stock, and a "1x2" call spread. His trade entails buying one January 70 call and selling two January 85 calls, all expiring in 2009.

So far this year, Laudani is finding fewer stocks that fit his criteria. But he's urging clients to short companies that have earned a lot of money from exporting, like the hydraulics-maker Parker Hannifin (PH). Exporters have enjoyed a wind at their backs from currency moves. But as the dollar flattens out and the economy drags, Laudani thinks that momentum will slow for exporters like Parker.

Still, Apple doesn't need to knock the BlackBerry out of its dominant position in the enterprise; even making a small dent could represent a significant opportunity. UBS analyst Ben Reitzes estimates the number of Exchange and Notes users in the vicinity of 278 million people. That gives Apple plenty of room to move into the corporate smartphone market even without laying a glove on RIM: The total number of BlackBerry subscribers at the end of its most recent quarter was 12 million. That still leaves plenty of room for a strong second player.