The Post's stock picker, Hilary Kramer, is leaving the competition in the dust.

Kramer's 14 stock picks this year are up an impressive 7 percent while the Dow Jones industrial average is down 14.9 percent and the S&P 500 is off 14.0 percent. Even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is 15.3 percent on the downside in 2008.

That's right, if you invested $1,000 in each of her 14 stock picks this year, you'd be sitting pretty with a portfolio balance of $14,973.43.

Eleven of Kramer's 14 picks are in positive territory, led by a 63 percent gain in LeapFrog Enterprises, which Kramer picked back on Jan. 13 when it was trading at $4.97. It closed Thursday at $7.85.

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To generate investment profit in today's turbulent market environment, it is important to focus on long-term fundamentals and select stocks that are well positioned for long-term growth.

In addition, when one goes "bottom fishing" for stocks that have been beaten down, it is important to focus on stocks with strong fundamentals to avoid picking up "dead fish" that do not recover when the market goes back up.

As the price of oil continues to skyrocket, there are several industries that are well positioned for long-term growth - these include demand response, solar, and wind power.

Demand-response solution providers allow utilities to be able to deal with peak demand in the electrical power grid without building additional expensive peaking power plants that also pollute the environment.

* EnerNOC is currently the market leader in the demand response business. Its shares closed Thursday at $17.82. Last year revenues grew 124 percent, which demonstrated the strong growth potential of this company. My 12-month price target is $23, which means you should start taking profit as the stock goes above $21.

* Comverge is also a leader in the demand response business which in February 2008 executed a new long-term pay-for-performance virtual peaking capacity contract with Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative. Comverge shares closed last week at $13.04. In the last 12 months, it had revenue growth of 77 percent, which is also outstanding. My 12-month price target is $18, which mean profit taking should start above $16.

* MEMC Electronic Materials is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of wafers for solar photovoltaic cells and have been a pioneer in the design and development of wafer technologies over the past four decades. Its shares closed July 3 at $54.96 per share. While its revenue growth was only 21 percent last year, its earnings growth was 47 percent. My 12-month price target is $95, which means profit taking should take place at prices above $85.

* American Superconductors is a leading energy technologies company that serves the wind power and electric power grid transmission industries. Its shares closed last week at $31.98. Revenue for the last year grew at a very healthy clip of 115 percent - and that growth is also expected to continue through 2008. My 12-month price target is $49, which means profit taking should start at prices above $45.

Hilary Kramer runs a green investment fund that owns long positions in the above stocks.

Source : http://www.nypost.com

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NBR Transcripts-June 11, 2008

"Street Critique"-Hilary Kramer, Chief Market Strategist at Greentech Research

PAUL KANGAS: Returns on alternative energy stocks have been mediocre to poor in recent months but tonight's "Street Critique" guest says that just makes them more attractive. She's Hilary Kramer, chief market strategist at Greentech Research and author of "Ahead of the Curve." Hilary, great to see you again.

HILARY KRAMER, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, GREENTECH RESEARCH: Thank you, Paul, very nice to be here.

KANGAS: You're a market strategist. So before we get to your stock picks, let's talk about this market. Is the ugliness going to continue?

KRAMER: In the short term, we are going to see more down days like we have Friday and a day like today. Again the problem is that there's fear and uncertainty in the market. It's not just in terms of individual investors, but institutional leaders fear across Wall Street. There's fear as well. Are prices of oil going to go up? Is there going to be increased unemployment and what's the value of my house or my commercial property? So all of these are contributing to the market going down but eventually the market always goes back up.

KANGAS: All right. Well let's get to your selections tonight. Shares of alternative energy companies especially the solar stocks have been very volatile. Why do you like this sector?

KRAMER: I look for growth. Growth is what drives stock prices upwards so alternative energy is in very strong demand right now. There's a lot of regulatory winds that will eventually make it a better situation and cheaper for companies to utilize alternative energy techniques.

KANGAS: Let's get to some of your specific favorites. What's your first choice and its ticker symbol?

KRAMER: Enernoc and its symbol is ENOC. This is a company in the $13 range that has been as high as $50. Enernoc serves the utility industry and helps them conserve energy. It's called demand response and what they do to an operations center is they control the amount of electricity that's distributed. It's a great company to prevent blackouts and brownouts.

KANGAS: The stock's had quite a tumble hasn't it, so you think it's attractive at this level.

KRAMER: Yes, absolutely. As a matter of fact, I was buying Enernoc. I've been buying Enernoc and I can see Enernoc going back into the mid 20s.

KANGAS: OK, your next choice.

KRAMER: SunPower Corporation, SPWR. This is a solar power company that's both midstream and downstream, meaning that they do everything from put together solar panels to install them. SunPower is very well positioned because the utilities are starting on these projects to build very, very large solar projects, solar thermal is what they call it. And SunPower is positioned to get those contracts. The stock is off, what, almost 50 percent from its high at the end of December.

KANGAS: Quickly, one more here.

KRAMER: MEMC Electronics, the ticker is wafer, WFR. This is a poly silicon maker. This is a company that went from being a semiconductor play to being a solar play.

KANGAS: And we have time for an exchange trade fund that you like.

KRAMER: Anyone who wants to diversify their risk, who wants to be careful the PBW, it's Powershares Wilderhill, but the ticker symbol is PBW. This had SunPower in its (INAUDIBLE) for solar, Sun Tech and you can't go wrong. It's been beaten down. It's a well managed ETF.

KANGAS: All right, do you Hilary own any of these stocks individually?

KRAMER: Yes. I own Enernoc, Sun Power and MEMC. I don't own PBW because I don't do EFTs, but the other three companies I own.

KANGAS: Great to see you again Hilary. Thanks for being with us. KRAMER: Thank you, Paul.

KANGAS: My guest Hilary Kramer of Greentech Research.

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