Press Releases

Wall Street analysts raise containerboard company ratings to ‘Outperform’

Analyst Check from Industry Intelligence Inc. aggregates analysts’ ratings of companies’ performance

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Feb. 3, 2010) – Across Wall Street, numerous analysts have given “Outperform” ratings to companies with exposure to the containerboard sector. MeadWestvaco, RockTenn, Packaging Corp. of America, and International Paper all received positive nods from the equity side.

Industry Intelligence Inc. announced today the addition of Analyst Check to its executive suite of market intelligence services. Analyst Check provides an aggregated summary of positive, neutral, and negative ratings on company performance by equity analysts, major banks, investment banks, and independent financial research services. Analysts who have followed Domtar’s challenges in the past overwhelmingly give the company a positive rating now. Nonetheless, a few are now taking a more cautious view, saying the company’s stock is climbing too rapidly.

The new tool will be part of Industry Intelligence’s suite of executive services, providing senior management teams with strategic business applications for optimized decision-making and improved operational performance. Rami Ghandour, CEO of Industry Intelligence Inc., commented that senior executives are always looking for that high-level snapshot. “This is the first of several interactive, high-level tools that we plan to launch in 2010. An interactive financial metrics ranking table will be available by the end of Q1 2010,” said Ghandour.

Initially, more than 50 public companies will be included in Analyst Check. Firms that are covered range from producers such as Weyerhaeuser, Domtar, and Glatfelter to large retailers, such as Office Depot, Lowe’s, and Amazon. The ratings are displayed in a simple, interactive table format. From the table, a user can click a company’s name and be taken to a complete company report, including a detailed view of available analyst reports, sales and earnings transcripts, a scorecard of company financial metrics, and recent company news.

Analyst Check offers clients a unique opportunity to observe trends in the financial community’s assessment of companies. If a particular company is attracting positive coverage from a diverse group of Wall Street analysts, the tool will reveal this. Likewise, if a company is trending negative or remaining flat, Analyst Check captures this information.

The metrics used to determine a company’s performance in Analyst Check are not limited to “buy,” “sell,” and “hold” ratings, or to adjustment in target share prices. Rather, Industry Intelligence evaluates the analysts’ reports and research and synthesizes a complete view of a company’s outlook, using multiple data points. This outlook is then integrated with additional news and information to provide clients with a comprehensive, interactive report.

Executive services available from Industry Intelligence Inc. include an [executive] Navigator toolkit, launched in late 2009, as well as a set of customizable, interactive reports for board members. The components include conference call transcripts, sell-side analyst reports, financial graphing and benchmarking tools, industry-specific stock indices, capacity closures, layoffs, and plant restarts. According to Ghandour, “These services will continue to develop as executives use them and offer their input and feedback.”

About Industry Intelligence Inc.

Industry Intelligence Inc., along with its sister company Forestweb, specializes in providing market intelligence solutions that offer a comprehensive view of business and market-moving events, all within an intuitive, easy-touse platform that promotes collaboration and action. Together, both companies gather, filter, and connect the relevant market intelligence a company needs to drive its decisions and operations.

Founded in 1999, privately held, and headquartered in Los Angeles, Industry Intelligence Inc. and Forestweb Inc. have worked with more than 600 companies of all sizes and across such diverse market sectors as forest products;, pulp and paper;, wood products; lumber and panels; timberlands; paper and plastic packaging; builders and developers; chemicals; industrial equipment; financial institutions; and government agencies. For more information, visit www.industryintel.com.