In This Issue:
• Easing Up on the Gas - We think the big move in energy stocks is over for now, but oil prices should remain firm.
• In the Limelight
• STARS Status: Changes in S&P analysts' STARS rankings for May 16 through May 20.
• Sector Weighting Changes (Chart)
• Big Dividend Increases: The growth in dividend payments has been one of the market's few bright spots this year. Here are some companies that have had large dividend hikes in 2005.
• Favored Stocks With Solid Dividend Increases In 2005 (Chart)
• Stocks to Avoid Our analysts have "sell" or "strong sell" recommendations on the stocks in the table below.
• Our Views on Five Popular Stocks: S&P stock reports on these five recommended issues were among the most requested in April.
• Master List Stocks Update - Our three supervised Master List groups of stocks, recommended as core holdings for long-term investors, are regularly featured on these two pages. Group 2, highlighted this week, consists of stocks we like for total return.
• Three Recent Upgrades: S&P analysts believe the stocks appraised here will outperform the market over the coming 12 months. Some of the Companies Featured:
American Capital Strategies Ltd.
Amsouth Bancorp.
Applied Materials
Carpenter Technology Corp.
Chesapeake Energy Corp.
Claire's Stores
ConocoPhillips
Dollar General Corp.
Flextronics International
FPL Group
Genentech Inc.
Google Inc.
Grainger (W.W.) Inc.
Home Depot
Hospitality Properties Trust
Ingersoll-Rand
International Paper Co.
MGM Mirage
Seagate Technology
Valspar Corp. | 
