Outperform - Price 24.46 on Oct. 12 by Barrington Research Office-products maker Acco sees third-quarter sales of approximately $495 million [versus] $499 million in '06.[earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization]...We're lowering our EPS estimate to $1.77, from $1.87. With full-year 2007 EPS still expected to grow 26%...ABD's making good progress on merger integration . Price target [cut to] 30, from 32.

Sector Perform - Price 22.36 on Oct. 16 by Pacific Crest Adtran [a provider of networking and communications equipment] reported Q3 revenue of $123.8 million, versus our estimate of $124.3 million, but in line with ADTN's preannounced guidance of sequentially flat. Reported EPS of 31 cents was 3 cents above our estimate and ADTN guidance. ADTN expects Q4 revenue to be down sequentially, but up over very weak 4Q06...Adtran shares are trading [above] 18 times our '08 EPS estimate...We prefer investments in the sector with stronger exposure to secular trends.

Outperform - Price 48.82 on Oct. 16 by RBC Capital Markets Shares currently trade at 14 times 2008 Ebitda and 25 times EPS, a reasonable but not overly inexpensive multiple versus the range of 10 times to 16 times over the past 12 months...advertisers are spending more on Bankrate than they did this time last year, or even in 1H07...We continue to believe that RATE has among the best fundamentals in the small-cap Internet space. [Yet] we believe the easy money may have been made, [thus, we reduce] our rating from Top Pick to Outperform. Target: 59.

Sell - Price 38.23 on Oct. 16 by W.R. Hambrecht Target: 35. Sequentially lower sales of Lexapro [a depression and anxiety drug] and sliding [prescription] share have been confirmed...[The recently announced] results -- where the top line came up short, up just 8% year/over/year, along with...50-basis-point margin erosion -- we believe reflect the deteriorating fundamentals we've long expected. What's worse...is the apparent absence of a strategic plan to revive growth....Cash flow is positive, with $2.4 billion...but this bloated former cruise ship...is simply not moving forward.

Long-Term Buy - Price 41.03 on Oct. 16 by Hilliard Lyons GE reported 3Q EPS of 54 cents, compared to 47 cents last year. EPS from continuing operations rose 9%, to 50 cents from 46 cents, but this included $568 million of after-tax restructuring charges, or 6 cents a share, implying 22% growth otherwise. GE has exited subprime-mortgage business and written down...its remaining portfolio...Momentum in Infrastructure segment appears to be in early stages. Global revenue continues to grow. Recent acquisitions of faster-growing, high-margin businesses add to our conviction. Based on its historic valuation and current prospects, we believe GE warrants a premium to the Standard & Poor's 500. Our two-to-three-year 53 target results from assuming sustained double-digit EPS growth...a 20% premium valuation to the S&P.

Outperform - Price 50 on Oct. 16 by Bear Stearns Target: 60. We are lowering our fiscal-year '08 sales and EPS estimates to $13.1 billion (+7%) and $2.55 (+6%), from $13.5B (+10%) and $2.71 (+12%) after MDT's ICD [implantable cardioverter-defibrillator] lead recall. We expect an approximately $200 million F2Q08 negative sales impact from pulling inventory...Our FY09 sales and EPS estimate also move down to $14.6B (+11%) and $2.95 (+16%), from $15.1B (+11%) and $3.12 (+15%). We're lowering price target to 60 for year-end '08 from 65 by applying a 20 times P/E multiple to our new $2.95 FY09 EPS estimate. MDT's ICD recall is likely to delay a market rebound until [calendar] '08 and to pressure growth.

Buy - Price 3.48 on Oct. 16 by Pacific Growth Initiating with Buy...based on USG's position as [a] leader of emerging geothermal developers and [its] proven reserves. We favor geothermal, based on its cost-competitiveness with fossil fuels, its "green" attributes, ability to meet renewable-portfolio standards, and ability to generate valuable production-tax credits. We have assigned an [approximately] $4.60-a-share fair value to USG's first 65 megawatts of development. We think U.S. Geothermal's potential 135 megawatts of additional resources is currently worth about $1.70....In an industry [with] many small wildcatters with unproven resources, we favor players with well-studied and developed resources such as USG. Market-cap: $186 million.