One of the ways that our analysts and investors  evaluate the valuation of a stock is to compare its Current Price/Earnings Ratio to the company's projected Earnings per Share growth rate. This comparison is known as the PEG Ratio.

In the May 2011 issue of the Investor Advisory Service we recommended Abbott Labs, a maker of a broad line of healthcare products and pharmaceuticals. This large company had revenues in 2010 of $35.1 billion, and had grown earnings per share at an annualized rate of more than 8% since 2001. How have the company and its stock performed in the year since it was recommended?

The May 2012 issue of the Investor Advisory Service is now available. Subscribers may log in at http://www.investoradvisoryservice.com/Subscribers.aspx to access the issue.

Our primary focus in seeking out stocks for the Investor Advisory Service is for capital appreciation that results from the growth of companies' earnings over the long-term. Here is a look at some of the fastest growing companies currently covered by IAS, as seen in the April 2012 issue.

Investors in Global Payments (NYSE: GPN). a stock currently covered by the Investor Advisory Service, received quite a shock last Friday when the company revealed that it was the victim of a large-scale data breach. GPN made several announcements and held a conference call in combination with its quarterly earnings release.

Since the stock market crash of 1987, what company's stock has performed the best? Apple? Nope. Microsoft? Wrong again. Wal-Mart? Not even close.

Many subscribers have requested help identifying the market capitalization of companies in the Investor Advisory Service, to better enable them to find companies that fit certain size requirements. In our February 2012 issue, we began including an indicator to help you identify the size of companies featured in the newsletter.

This is the bible of long-term stock investing – not the how, but the why. Wharton School Professor Jeremy Siegel goes through estimated market returns for 200 years in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Japan to show a natural level of long-term return in these diverse markets over two centuries!

In the February 2011 issue of the Investor Advisory Service we recommended Neustar, a telecom infrastructure company. This midsized company had revenues in 2010 of $526.8 million, and has grown earnings per share at an annualized rate of 19.4% since 2003. How have the company and its stock performed in the year since it was recommended?

Douglas Gerlach, Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning Investor Advisory Service newsletter, will present the publication's top stock ideas and market outlook for 2012, and its top 2011 performers. Gerlach will also review the Investor Advisory Service's methodologies that enable it to achieve long-term investing success for subscribers. 

MSN Money columnist Michael Brush wrapped up the year with "12 Stock Picks for 2012 from Top Pros," presenting ideas from several of the Hulbert Financial Digest's Investment Newsletter Honor Roll recipients. Included in his article are a couple of ideas from our own Investor Advisory Service analyst Dan Boyle. Read the full article here.