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Giving stocks a cheap checkup

(MONEY Magazine) – Tired of flipping through predictably upbeat brokerage reports or trudging to your library to consult the Value Line Investment Survey? Here's an alternative: By calling Standard & Poor's Research Reports ($10; 800-642-2858) or * Schwab's Investment Reports Service ($5.50; 800-442-5111), you can get five or more pages of information on each of about 4,000 publicly traded companies. The relatively jargon-free reports say how many analysts like the company -- and how many don't -- and give earnings estimates, the latest news about the firm, the outlook for the company and its industry, and Standard & Poor's grade, ranging from one star (sell) to five stars (a strong buy).