Outperform - Price 40.18 on Aug. 18 by Baird Securities Maintaining Outperform rating, 51 price target. Organic revenue growth appears to be trending slightly ahead of our estimates as automotive production rates increase.... Given ITW's relatively modest capital-goods exposure (we estimate only about 25%) and concentration of short-cycle businesses, [it] appears well positioned to outperform through the early stages of an economic recovery and remains our top idea. Market cap: $20.1 billion.

Outperform - Price 72.58 on Aug. 18 by Credit Suisse LO is still trading at a 23% discount to the Standard & Poor's 500, based on FY10 consensus EPS [earnings-per-share] estimates, which we believe is not fully taking into account its best-in-class fundamentals and operating metrics [for this tobacco company]. We reiterate our 82 target and Outperform rating. Market cap: $12.1 billion.

Buy - Price 23.25 on Aug. 18 by Broadpoint.AmTech Upgrading MSFT to Buy and raising target to 29... .Our latest checks into the consumer personal-computer market indicate better-than-expected back-to-school sales, which could lead to more positive Windows business in second half of 2009, [compared with] our initial expectation. Our fiscal-first-quarter EPS estimate has been raised to 33 cents, from 30 cents. Our FY10 estimate has been raised to $1.66, from $1.62. We're maintaining our thesis that a corporate PC refresh will likely occur at a higher than normal rate in calendar-year '10, although...this PC refresh is not likely to happen in conjunction with the Windows 7 upgrade....We believe the broad enterprise adoption of Windows 7 will likely occur in CY11....The shares are trading at 13 times our CY10 earnings estimate...well below the industry average of 16 times. Market cap: $209 billion.

Buy - Price 20.33 on Aug. 18 by Jefferies & Co. We're keeping our Buy rating, but price-target estimates fall materially. RST is a disruptive play in the large language-learning market, with the potential to drive growth through new services and international expansion. We do have incremental concerns that returns on media are beginning to show...signs of fatigue, and that revenue growth will only come in conjunction with higher spend[ing].... Our 24 target is based on 19 times our new CY10 EPS estimate of $1.28. The 19 times multiple is below our prior 23 times estimate....Risks include increasing [operating expenses] due to declining returns on media, unit-volume deceleration and lack of international penetration/recurring revenue. Market cap: $400 million.

Outperform - Price 23.34 on Aug. 18 by Wedbush Morgan We initiate coverage on TXN shares with an Outperform rating and 12-month target of 29. Despite the 35% move in the last three months, we are making TXN our top large-cap idea, given our conviction about the company's strong GM [gross-margin] tailwinds, persistent analog share gains, and misplaced concerns in the baseband [a data-transmission system in which digital or analog data can be sent via a single channel]. We believe significant GM expansion remains to be unlocked by the continued ramp in factory utilization, an improving mix of analog and embedded revenues, declining depreciation expense, and permanent reductions to COGS [cost of goods sold ]. With 14% market share in analog revenues last year, Texas Instruments is the market-share leader in analog, and should continue gaining share. Shares of TXN have traded within a historical range of 12 times to 35 times over the last 5 years, with an average of 19 times. We are applying a 19 times multiple on our 2010 EPS estimates. Market cap: $29.7 billion.

Buy - Price 11.08 on Aug. 18 by Merriman Curhan & Ford [Wonder Auto Technology, through its Chinese subsidiaries, makes and sells automotive electrical parts, suspension products and engine accessories. It was ranked second in sales revenue in the China market for automotive alternators and starters in 2008.]We are optimistic that Wonder Auto Technology remains well-positioned to benefit from the recent improvement in passenger-car sales trends within China following the government stimulus actions taken in January. In addition, the company should also continue to gain market share in developed countries as those countries' manufacturers look to outsource parts to save on their cost structures. Using a price/earnings multiple range of 12 times to 15 times our FY10 EPS estimate of 95 cents would yield a potential valuation of $12 to $15. Market cap: $303 million.