Top 5 Mid-Caps for Dec. 18

Cubist Pharmaceuticals(CBST Quote) is a biopharmaceutical company that engages in the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the anti-infective market. We upgraded it from hold to buy in October 2008. Our rating is supported by a number of strengths, such as its robust revenue growth, solid stock price performance, and expanding profit margins. Growth in net income and EPS also contribute to the company's strengths.

The company reported 40.9% year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2008, contributing to an EPS improvement of 37.5%. EPS climbed from 32 cents in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 to 44 cents in the most recent quarter. The company has, in fact, demonstrated a pattern of positive EPS growth over the past two years, and we feel that this trend is likely to continue. Net income also increased in the third quarter, increasing 39.5% from where it was a year ago. Although Cubist's gross profit margin is very high at 79.1%, it has managed to decrease that result compared to the prior year's quarter. In addition, the company's net profit margin of 24.8% compares favorably to the average for the biotechnology industry.

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.

Our quantitative rating is based on a variety of historical fundamental and pricing data and represents our opinion of a stock's risk-adjusted performance relative to other stocks.

However, the rating does not incorporate all of the factors that can alter a stock's performance. For example, it doesn't always factor in recent corporate or industry events that could affect the stock price, nor does it include recent technology developments and competitive dynamics that may affect the company.

For those reasons, we believe a rating alone cannot tell the whole story and should be part of an investor's overall research.