Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features Apple Computers, Campbell Soup, UnumProvident, Forest Laboratories, and Mylan Laboratories

Business Wire, Nov 22, 2004

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the November 22 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are Apple Computers (NASDAQ:AAPL), Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB), UnumProvident (NYSE:UNM), Forest Laboratories (NYSE:FRX), and Mylan Laboratories (NYSE:MYL). Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks is just one of the many free market commentaries written every day at www.SchaeffersResearch.com - the home of Bernie Schaeffer and Schaeffer's Investment Research. For additional information about this report or to have it delivered to you free via email every day click on the following link. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRSHS1M&PAGE=1.

E[acute accent]Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Monday, November 22, 2004:

E[acute accent]A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX Hot Stocks" column. Each afternoon immediately prior to the close, we will provide a list of the day's top-20 performing stocks in the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1175.93) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the shares.

E[acute accent]NOTE: Stocks trading under $5 per share have been eliminated from this listing of the top-20 and bottom-20 performing stocks.

E[acute accent]Surging iPod sales for Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) have translated into higher Macintosh computer sales, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster (quoted in a CBS MarketWatch article). Munster's data show that six percent of 200 iPod owners bought a Macintosh, Munster calls this a "halo effect." He also stated that another seven percent of the iPod owners intend to purchase a Macintosh in the next 52 weeks. This led to Munster raising his target price for AAPL to $100 from his previous $53 target. Adding to AAPL's momentum, Fulcrum Global Partners analyst, Robert Cihra, lifted his target price for the computer behemoth to $65. Previously, Cihra assigned a $53-per-share target price. Additionally, Cihra raised his fourth-quarter forecast for AAPL from $2.86 billion to $3.23 billion. AAPL has gained nearly 11 percent in today's trading action. E[acute accent]Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) finds itself in the second spot on today's hot stocks list. Driving CPB was first-quarter earnings of 56 cents per share, nine percent higher than last year's first-quarter number. In addition to topping last year's number, CPB beat the consensus estimate for a profit of 52 cents per share. Strong growth in the company's top line, 11 percent, was sparked by higher-margin products and favorable currency exchange rates. Improvement in the company's product, packaging, merchandising, and marketing have greatly helped the sultan of soup. Today's good news led to the company confirming its 2005 forecast for a jump of five to seven percent from the company's full-year earnings of $1.58 per share in 2004. E[acute accent]Digging a little deeper into the upward-moving stocks, we find UnumProvident (NYSE:UNM). The insurance concern announced today that it is in the last stages of an inquiry settlement over its practice of handling claims. Late Thursday, UNM announced that it was going to pay $15 million to settle inquiries led by authorities in Maine, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. According to the company, the result of the inquiries was that UNM did not breach any laws or market-conduct rules. After this announcement, A.M. Best (an agency that rates the insurance industry) affirmed it's "A-" (excellent) rating on UNM. This helped squash analyst fears over the company. This news, coupled with today's expectations, led to an analyst upgrade from "market perform" to "outperform." E[acute accent]The beginning of Thanksgiving's shortened week sounded retreat for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. This led Banc of America to cut its rating on Forest Laboratories (NYSE:FRX) from "neutral" to "sell." According to an article on CBS MarketWatch, Banc of America cited "credible risk" over FRX's Lexapro trial in May. Accompanying the cut was a downgrade in the company's target price to $34 from $45. FRX has lost more than eight percent today. E[acute accent]Today brought about investor reaction to Mylan Laboratories' (NYSE:MYL) rejection of Carl Icahn's $5.4-billion takeover bid. MYL announced that it had turned down the offer and was going to continue its bid to acquire King Pharmaceuticals (KG). Icahn opposes the company's bid to takeover KG and offered $20 per share, with no breakup fee, to acquire MYL. MYL feels that acquiring KG will create value for the company's shareholders. E[acute accent]Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top 20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=11819 E[acute accent]Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top 20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=11819

E[acute accent]Take advantage of the timely Schaeffer commentaries by signing up for their free e-newsletters -- Opening View, Market Recap and Monday Morning Outlook. Click here to have the Schaeffer's commentaries delivered to you free via email every day. http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/redirect.aspx?CODE=PRSHS1M&PAGE=1.