You totally miss the point. This is NOT a stock pumping firm, but a company that gets product placement in media, that introduces the company to news sources, has articles written up in leading publications. If the company like INXR is going to make its move on intrinsic values, then a firm like Stern can be a big part of it, not the whole reason behind it. That is as it should be. If they got an $8 company into Forbes and it was bought out at $22, that is Stern doing their job, nothing more. They are not responsible for that stock going to $22. But some of their actions may have had an irreducible cause and effect that eventually led to market realization of the valuation potential of a company being profiled.
This is about branding as much as it is about immediate gratification for today's stock price. But you knew that right?