NEW YORK, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In advance of Facebook Inc.'s  highly anticipated initial public offering scheduled to take place next week, around Friday, May 18, S&P Capital IQ's Internet equity analyst, Scott Kessler, has written "Facebook Pre-IPO Report: Significant Growth, Significant Risks."

"Among  Facebook's many strengths are a well-established global brand, large and engaged constituencies, leadership in the social segment, and a strong balance sheet, to list a few," said Mr. Kessler, who also heads the Information Technology sector equity research team at S&P Capital IQ.  "However, we see some challenges for the company related to international opportunities, mobile offerings and monetization, and legal and regulatory matters."

The 19-page report includes SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, comparisons to major consumer technology companies (Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft) and a related scorecard, content associated with international operations and M&A activity, specifics regarding corporate governance and investment risks, and a section on valuation featuring multi-factor analysis involving 14 domestic and international companies. 

S&P Capital IQ's equity research can be found on MarketScope® Advisor.
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Further information on the report and MarketScope Advisor is available by calling 1-877-219-1247.

S&P Capital IQ's equity research draws from the award-winning STARS coverage and Stock Reports, including detailed financial information, such as valuation models, sector, and peer group analysis, and proprietary S&P Capital IQ's metrics such as Fair Value and Quality Rankings, on about 1,200 U.S.-listed equities, used by market professionals.

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S&P Capital IQ, a business line of the McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:  MHP), is a leading provider of multi-asset class and real time data, research and analytics to institutional investors, investment and commercial banks, investment advisors and wealth managers, corporations and universities around the world.   We provide a broad suite of capabilities designed to help track performance, generate alpha, identify new trading and investment ideas, and perform risk analysis and mitigation strategies.  Through leading desktop solutions such as the S&P Capital IQ, Global Credit Portal and MarketScope Advisor desktops; enterprise solutions such as S&P Capital IQ Valuations, and Compustat; and research offerings, including Leveraged Commentary & Data, Global Market Intelligence, and company and funds research, S&P Capital IQ sharpens financial intelligence into the wisdom today's investor's need.  For more information, visit www.spcapitaliq.com.

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SOURCE S&P Capital IQ