Top 5 Mid-Caps for Nov. 27

The stock price is not only higher than it was a year ago, but it also outperformed the S&P 500 over the same period of time. Strong earnings growth appears to have been key to this growth, although other factors clearly played a role as well. Although even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market, we feel that this stock still has good upside potential under any other market conditions. Although no company is perfect, we do not currently see any significant weaknesses that are likely to detract from Cubist's generally positive outlook.

New Jersey Resources(NJR Quote) is an energy services holding company that provides retail and wholesale energy services to customers in New Jersey, other states from the Gulf Coast to New England and Canada. Our rating for New Jersey Resources has been in place since September 2002, supported by the company's healthy revenue growth, solid stock price performance, compelling net income growth, and impressive record of EPS growth.

For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, the company reported revenue growth of 40.1% year over year, which outpaced the industry average of 22.6%. Revenue growth appears to have helped boost EPS, which rose significantly from a loss of 91 cents per share in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to a profit of $1.86 in the most recent quarter. Net income surged 305.1% when compared to the same quarter a year ago. In addition, the company announced that its Board of Directors recently approved a 10.7% dividend increase, bringing the quarterly dividend rate to 31 cents per share. The company has paid quarterly dividends continuously since it began in 1952.