What a weekend for Long Term PowerRatings! As of the opening on Monday, we have have a total of 7 stocks that have earned Long Term PowerRatings upgrades to 8 or higher.

In today's column we will focus on 5 out of that 7 that have earned Long Term PowerRatings Upgrades from 8 to 9, the "good to great" shift in PowerRatings that I have noted in past articles for PowerRatings.net.

What is the difference between an 8-rated stock and a 9-rated stock? According to our research, which involved thousands of simulated trades between 1995 and 2007, the difference is about 500 basis points in terms of reliability and 100 basis points in performance. And both 8 and 9-rated stocks truly stand out when compared to the average stock.

Consider this: the average stock has a reliability factor of less than 68%. By "reliability factor" I am referring to the likelihood that a stock will be higher in year's time. It is a basic "good stock/bad stock" yardstick.

On the other hand, stocks with Long Term PowerRatings of 8 have been higher one year later more than 74% of the time. Even better, 9-rated stocks have a reliability factor of more than 79% - meaning stocks with Long Term PowerRatings of 9 have been higher one year later more than 79% of the time.

In addition to reliability, high Long Term PowerRatings stocks have simply been better performers compared to the average stock. The average stock, according to our research, has tended to gain between 12-13% in a year's time. 8-rated stocks, on the other hand, have tended to gain more than 17% after one year and stocks with Long Term PowerRatings of 9 have averaged gains of more than 18% over the same time period.

Buckeye Partners (BPL | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) Long Term PowerRating 9

Anheuser-Busch (BUD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) Long Term PowerRating 9

Enbridge Energy Partners (EEP | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) Long Term PowerRating 9

Energy Transfer Partners (ETP | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) Long Term PowerRating 9

Coca Cola (KO | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) Long Term PowerRating 9

Of the five stocks that made today's list, three are part of the Oil & Gas Pipelines industry, an industry group with an Industry PowerRating of 10. The other two - Anheuser-Busch and Coca Cola - both hail from the Beverages industry. And although BUD belongs to the brewers and KO belongs to the soft drinks, both "Beverage" industries have earned industry PowerRatings of 10, also.

Of course, as most investors know by now, Anheuser-Busch has agreed to terms with Belgian brewer, InBev, to be acquired at a price of $70 a share. As such, investors may want to consider another stock from the beverage industry such as PepsiAmericas (PAS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) or Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), both of which have Long Term PowerRatings of 9.

Looking for more long-term solutions to your investing problems? Don't let the volatility of this market lead you to miss out on stocks you'll be glad to have bought a year from now.

Learn what you need to know as an active investor looking to invest in companies with a history of financial strength and a track record for growth. Click the link above or call us at 888-484-8220 extension 1 to get your copy of the "5 Secrets to Successful Stock Investing" today!

David Penn is Senior Editor at PowerRatings.net.

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