Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks Features MeadWestvaco, Baxter International, Franklin Resources, Apple Computer, and Cendant.

CINCINNATI -- Among the stocks featured in the February 15 edition of Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks are MeadWestvaco (NYSE:MWV), Baxter International (NYSE:BAX), Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN), Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Cendant (NYSE:CD). Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks is just one of the many free market commentaries written everyday 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=PRSHS12M&PAGE=1 .

Schaeffer's S&P 500 Index Hot Stocks for Wednesday, February 15, 2006:

A daily feature available on SchaeffersResearch.com is the "SPX Hot Stocks" column. Each afternoon, we will provide a list of the day's top-20 performing stocks in the S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,276.44) as well as the bottom-20 names. Featured along with this table will be news that is moving some of the securities.

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

As we enter midday trading, the market has pulled back its intraday highs following the testimony of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. There were no great surprises in the Fed's speech, as he indicated that additional rate hikes may be necessary. To read more about what the Fed chief had to say, please check out Bernanke Fall-Out (http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/commentary/ observations.aspx?click=home&ID=15316 ) (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.). At last check, the SPX was up almost one point, pulling back from its maximum intraday gain of more than five points.

MeadWestvaco (NYSE:MWV) had tacked on nearly three percent this afternoon following an announcement that it plans to realign its packaging businesses; consolidate its U.S. corporate locations and key administrative functions into a new headquarters in Richmond, Virginia; and establish a new packaging research center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The firm said its six divisions in its packaging segment will move into two packaging groups: one to serve paperboard customers and the other to providing a range of consumer-packaging products. What's more, the firm expects the North Carolina center to bring 200 jobs to the area, and the Virginia headquarters to bring in 400 jobs. In addition, the company was upgraded by Banc of America Securities this morning from "neutral" to "buy."

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) has notched a gain of more than two percent after it confirmed that its board has approved the buyback of up to $1.5 billion worth of its common stock. The company stated that it has $250 million left in authorization from a previous repurchase program.

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) also enjoyed an upgrade this morning, with Morgan Stanley boosting the shares from "equal-weight" to "overweight." The brokerage firm cited that it expects the firm to make better use of its excess cash, possibly through a share buyback or higher dividend.

Late yesterday, Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced that it began shipping the MacBook Pro, its first notebook computer to use microprocessors from Intel (INTC). The new notebooks will use INTC's Core Duo chip instead of the PowerPC chip made by IBM (IBM) and Freescale Semiconductor (FSL) .

Thomas Weisel Partners downgraded Cendant (NYSE:CD) to "peer perform" from "outperform," due to concerns over the company's e-Travel unit and a slowdown in home sales. The brokerage firm stated that difficulties integrating the e-Travel unit have limited growth and hurt margins. At last check, the shares had retreated roughly two percent.

Before the open this morning, Jones Apparel Group (JNY) slipped into the earnings confessional to report that its fourth-quarter profit soared more than 60 percent due to stronger-than-expected sales in the company's Gloria Vanderbilt business and its Barneys luxury stores. Earnings came in at $55.7 million, or 48 cents per share, versus its year-ago profit of $34.1 million, or 28 cents per share. Excluding items, the company banked a profit of 51 cents per share, crushing the Street estimate of 45 cents per share. Sales for the three-month period rose to $1.22 billion. Looking ahead, JNY affirmed that its 2006 earnings outlook, excluding items, will equal or exceed the adjusted earnings of $2.48 per share recorded in 2005. Analysts are currently predicting a gain of $2.54 per share for the year. Despite the positive news, the shares have retreated roughly 1.8 percent. For a closer look at JNY, check out Street Chatter: Jones Apparel Group (http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/commentary/ observations.aspx?click=home&ID=15314 ) (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.) .

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Gainers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=15318 .

Click the following link to see a Chart of the SPX 500 Index's Top-20 Percentage Losers: http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/wire?ID=15318 .

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About Schaeffer's Investment Research (www.SchaeffersResearch.com)

Schaeffer's Investment Research, founded by Bernie Schaeffer in 1981, is a financial information and trading resources company. It publishes Bernie Schaeffer's Option Advisor, the nation's leading options subscription newsletter. The firm's contrarian approach focuses on stocks with technical and fundamental trends that run counter to investor expectations. The firm's website, http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com , is recognized as one of the leading information sources for stock and options traders and was cited as the top options website by both Forbes and Barron's. Click here for more details about Schaeffer's trading methodology: http://www.SchaeffersResearch.com/method .