Which stocks are investors spending more time analyzing and learning more about at PowerRatings.net? Today, those stocks include a blue chip technology company and a pair of major diversified utilities companies.

Each week we take a look at the Most Requested PowerRatings table to see which stocks investors are most curious about. Scattered across this table are stocks with PowerRatings both high and low, but all represent stocks that have been in the news headlines or prominently featured or discussed in our own articles and commentary at PowerRatings.net.

For example, along with the high Long Term PowerRatings stocks I will discuss in just a moment, we can see that investors have been researching stocks with low, "consider avoiding" Long Term PowerRatings of 3 and 1. These stocks are, respectively, UBS (UBS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and Circuit City Stores (CC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating).

Sometimes, we are able to look into the industries that even low Long Term PowerRatings stocks come from and find higher rated peers. Unfortunately, while both UBS and CC are among the lowest rated stocks in their respective industry groups, neither industry group features the sort of high Long Term PowerRatings stocks that investors should focus on.

The good news, however, is that there are at least three stocks in the Most Requested PowerRatings list that investors should be paying attention - or more attention - to. If you are looking to fill holes in your stock portfolio with stocks that our research indicates are likely to outperform the average stock in a year's time, then here are three stocks to watch our for.

International Business Machines (IBM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), is a blue chip technology company with a P/E of 15.80 and a dividend yield of 1.70. The company next reports earnings on July 17th - a week from today - having beat analyst estimates for the previous quarter by a whopping $0.20. IBM's stock has a Long Term PowerRating of 9, which was a recent upgrade from its previous PowerRating of 8. Our research indicates that stocks with Long Term PowerRatings of 9 have been higher one year later more than 79% of the time - compared to the average stock, which has been higher one year later less than 68% of the time.

IBM also belongs to an industry group, Diversified Computer Systems, with an Industry PowerRating of 10. A top PowerRating, industries with 10 ratings have outperformed the average industry by a wide margin, more than doubling the average annualized returns of the average industry group between 1995 and 2007.

Next up is Consolidated Edison (ED | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), a diversified utilities stock I have mentioned frequently in recent Long Term PowerRatings articles for PowerRatings.net.

Consolidated Edison, like IBM, also has a Long Term PowerRating of 9. The utility has a P/E of 10.90 and an attractive dividend yield of 6. Interestingly enough, ConEd is also trading within a few points of its 52-week low of 37.75. The company hopes to continue its series of impressive earnings beats in early August, having beaten analyst estimates for earnings for the past six consecutive quarters.

As I mentioned above, ED hails from the diversified utilities industry group - an industry group with an Industry PowerRating of 9. The diversified utilities industry is the home of several high Long Term PowerRatings stocks, and should be one of the main places investors turn to right now for stocks that are less likely than the average stock to disappoint.

One of the other high Long Term PowerRatings stocks sharing top billing in the diversified utilities industry group is Ameren Corporation (AEE | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating).

Ameren Corporation operates a number of rate-regulated and non-rate-regulated businesses involved in electricity and natural gas generation, transmission and distribution. The utility will be looking to make its third consecutive earnings beat at the end of July, having last missed estimates in November 2007, when Ameren missed by $0.20.

Ameren Corporation has a P/E of 13.70 and a dividend yield of 6.10.

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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