Tag - NASDAQGM:SPIR

Spire Corp (Nasdaq:SPIR), Groupo Radio Centro (Nasdaq:RC), Broadway Financial (Nasdaq:BYFC) and Colonial Bankshares (Nasdaq:COBK) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Medifast (Nasdaq:MED), Vicon Industries (Nasdaq:VII), Bridgefords Foods (Nasdaq:BRID), Berkshire Bancorp (Nasdaq:BERK) and Cross AT (Nasdaq:ATX).

 

Spire Corp (Nasdaq:SPIR), Grupo Radio Centro (Nasdaq:RC), Cornerstone Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CRTX) and Entorian Technologies (Nasdaq:) are among the biggest percentage Gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

 

Also included among the results: China Advanced Construction Materials (Nasdaq:CADC), Spectranetics Corp (Nasdaq:SPNC), Stmyx Technologies (Nasdaq:SMMX), First Capital Inc (Nasdaq:FCAP) and Advocat Inc (Nasdaq:AVCA).

American Greetings Corp. (Nasdaq:AM), Universal Travel Group (Nasdaq:UTA) and Sonic Corp. (Nasdaq:SONC) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Atlas Pipeline Partners LP (Nasdaq:APL), OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:OGXI), Bridgford Foods Corp. (Nasdaq:BRID), International Assets Holding Corp. (Nasdaq:IAAC), Spire Corp. (Nasdaq:SPIR) and Century Aluminum Co. (Nasdaq:CENX).

Famous Daves of America Inc. (Nasdaq:DAVE), Texas Capital Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq:TCBI) and Acorda Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOR) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: iRobot Corp. (Nasdaq:IRBT), Vitran Corp Inc. (Nasdaq:VTNC), NetGear Inc. (Nasdaq:NTGR), Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. (Nasdaq:MCRI), Spire Corp. (Nasdaq:SPIR) and Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. (Nasdaq:GIFI).

"I’ve always been partial to going with the 'pick-and-shovel' companies; in the solar sector, that means buying the companies that make the equipment that makes photovoltaic (PV) panels," says Gregg Early.

In The New World, the high tech expert offers a pair of plays: Spire Corp. (NASDAQ:SPIR) and CVD Equipment (NYSE:CVV).

Stocks with investor-focused managements"The companies I like have established positions in markets that have a proven commitment to distributed power generation and continue to make major investments in renewable energy technologies, with solar being the lead technology.

"Two pick-and-shovel companies that I like are tiny companies, but they’ve been working smart, expanding their customer base and gaining strong international reputations along the way.

"Spire is a Massachusetts based company that is closely held--about 80% of its stock is held by the CEO and executive officers--and has come into its own as a manufacturer of turnkey PV production lines.

"Much of its recent business is selling facilities to power companies in Europe and Asia that are interested in making their own PV systems as opposed to contracting to large foreign PV firms. The advantage of these deals is it allows these companies to stay in control of the knowledge base.

"Although its business may suffer along with the sector, most of this has been priced in already, or, as Warren Buffett said of the market in general, overpriced in. Spire Corp is a buy at current levels if you have some risk capital . . .

Small-cap stocks edged lower Tuesday, pulled down by a soft tone in financial shares and a batch of downbeat economic data. The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) lost 4.17, or 0.56%, to 736.57, snapping a string of three consecutive higher sessions.

The stock market was unable to recapture the buying enthusiasm that appeared to be in play overnight when stock index derivatives churned higher on yet another media report that the Federal Reserve was not on the brink of raising interest rates. On Monday, it was the Washington Post saying that Fed officials are not ready to hike rates, then The Wall Street Journal reported the same thing today to help drive the point home.

There is a sense right now that financial markets still need low interest rates to gain access to cheap money and that rising rates too soon to fight inflation could cripple any economic recovery. What’s more, we’re heading into an election and unemployment is rising, which hardly makes for an opportune time to raise interest rates.

However, the after-hours upside push from the rate story failed to gain traction during the actual trading session today. Ironically, on a day when Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) released upbeat earnings that topped the estimate, Goldman Sachs analysts downgraded the outlook for banks and said that the credit crisis won’t run its course until 2009. The investment banking firm lowered price targets for 14 banks and many of those banks took a hit today, including Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), which tumbled more than 3%.

In fact, financial shares were among the biggest broad market losers today, with regional banks slipping over 5%, diversified banks down about 3%, thrifts and mortgage finance firms down about 3.8%, consumer finance stocks off 3.7% and multiline insurance stocks down over 3.7%. On the upside, fertilizers, oil . . .

FieldPoint Petroleum Corp (Nasdaq:FPP), Pyramid Oil Co (Nasdaq:PDO) and New Oriental Energy & Chemical Corp (Nasdaq:NOEC) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Spire Corp (Nasdaq:SPIR), BMB Munai Inc (Nasdaq:KAZ), Tri-Valley Corp (Nasdaq:TIV), Cascal NV (Nasdaq:HOO), Virtual Radiologic Corp (Nasdaq:VRAD) and Community Partners Bancorp (Nasdaq:CPBC).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

After opening higher, small-cap stocks slipped into the red and continued to bleed midday, as traders grappled with earnings from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) and a proliferation of economic reports.

At 12:58 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 2.41, or 0.33%, to 738.33, while the Dow is down 80.28, or 0.65%, to 12,188.80

As investors try to take the credit crisis’ latest temperature, Goldman Sachs said this morning that net income slid 11%, while revenues flopped off 7.5%, as the investment bank incurred further credit losses. Although results slipped, they still managed to beat the consensus on Wall Street. Goldman is the second financial house to report this week after Lehman Brothers (NYSE:LEH). Morgan Stanley is due to report Wednesday.

In sobering economic news, the Producer Price Index, reported this morning, clocked in at 1.4%, above the forecasted rise of 1%. The inflation indicator was fueled higher by an up tick in energy prices of 4.9% and an increase of 0.8% in food. The “core” rate, which excludes food and energy prices, was on target with a gain of 0.2%. Year-over-year, PPI was up 7.2%, marking the eighth consecutive month in which that number was above 6%, which hasn’t happened since 1977 to 1982.

Today’s PPI report comes on the heels of Friday’s CPI report, in which consumer prices jumped up 4.2% year over year.

“No big surprises here,” BMO Capital Markets economist Jennifer Lee wrote in a note today. “But with pipeline pressures showing little or no sign of let-up (intermediate and crude stages), policymakers will continue to keep an eye trained on inflation.”

Indeed, with The Fed’s hawkish comments in the back drop from last week, traders are now factoring in a rate hike of almost as much as 1%.

Also in less-than-welcoming economic news, housing starts came in slightly below expectations at 975,000 units, which marked the worst showing since 1991. Finally, the industrial production report was down 0.2%, well below the median forecast for a rise of 0.1%.

“We're now past the worst of the housing crisis and in the middle of the process of healing,” Andy Busch, global foreign exchange strategist for BMO Capital . . .

Global solar company Spire Corp. (Nasdaq:SPIR) said today that it will introduce a 25-megawatt cell-module turnkey photovoltaic production line at the Intersolar 2008 tradeshow, which commences Thursday in Munich, Germany.

Shares gained 11%, or $1.08, to close at $11.05 on the session. For detailed price information and recent news stories about Spire Corp., click SPIR. 

Unity Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:UNTY), TGC Industries Inc (Nasdaq:TGE) and Lime Energy Co (Nasdaq:LIME) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Spire Corp (Nasdaq:SPIR), Republic First Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:FRBK), Clean Diesel Technologies Inc (Nasdaq:CDTI), Stanley Inc (Nasdaq:SXE), Media General Inc (Nasdaq:MEG) and Xerium Technologies Inc (Nasdaq:XRM).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks extended the upward march much of the day Wednesday, lifted by tame consumer price inflation data this morning, which eased some concerns that the Federal Reserve’s tightening gun was coming out of the holster sooner than expected. However, the rally sputtered in the final hour of trading, and the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed down 0.79, or 0.11%, at 736.07. On the face of things, it might not seem like a big deal to only lose 0.11%, but a lower close when making new five-month highs serves up a potential topping pattern on charts that raises a caution flag heading into action Thursday and Friday.

After yesterday’s glut of Fed speakers inundated the market, many traders came away with the interpretation that Federal Reserve policy makers were turning hawkish, preparing to fight inflation. However, this morning’s CPI reading was seen as a sign that inflation remains at bay — at least for now — which should buy the market some time before rate hikes become plausible. The CPI headline number came in at 0.2%, just below the 0.3% forecast, while the “core” reading, which excludes food and energy, was up 0.1%, also below the 0.2% projection.

While gains in large caps were fairly broad-based Wednesday from a sector perspective, homebuilder and retailer stocks appeared to be especially giddy about the prospect of delaying rate hikes down the road. The S&P Retail Index jumped about 1.6% on the day, with Macy’s Inc. (NYSE:M) rising about 4%. Among homebuilders, DR Horton Inc. (NYSE:DHI) was up over 2% and Lennar Corp. (NYSE:LEN) . . .

Although solar power is a developing area with commensurate risk, triple-digit oil prices (as well as increased attention by politicians and the media) have helped move alternative energy to the forefront of investor attention.

Today, we examine a pair of small-cap firms that are involved in developing solar technologies. (For those seeking more conservative, larger-cap plays on the sector, I’ve compiled a 35-page report on alternative energy, available for free to all SmallCapInvestor.com readers.)

First up, The Real Nanotech Investor editor Gregg Early chooses Spire Corporation (Nasdaq:SPIR), which specializes equipment in the production of terrestrial photovoltaic modules from solar cells, as his favorite pick.

Despite its small market cap of $114 million, it is a well-diversified firm with additional operations in biomedical and biophotonic research as well as semiconductor and opto-electronic technologies.

Early says that Spire has received a purchase order for its solar cell modules from U.S. Dept of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

"Spire continues to credentialize its solar division and expand operations," he says. Indeed, after building its first solar panel production in Portugal, Early says that in recent weeks the firm also announced an order for a turnkey solar panel production line from its Spanish client Fluitecnik SA. The firm also announced a . . .

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed lower as fears of an economic slowdown came to the forefront. The small-cap index lost 9.72 points, or 1.38%, to 692.39. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) declined 120.40 points, or 0.97%, to 12,302.46.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 is down 9.61%, while the Dow has shed 7.26% and the S&P 500 is off 9.71%.

The bears dominated most the session today as investors worried that lackluster economic growth could possibly tip into a recession.

Gross domestic product rose at the previously announced annual pace of 0.6% during the fourth-quarter of 2007, the U.S. Commerce Department announced before the start of trading. That’s in line with economists’ expectations but below the 4.9% growth recorded in the third quarter of 2007.

Many observers, among them Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, forecast that the economy will slow down even more in the first quarter of 2008.

“It’s clear the economy is in a slowdown that resembles past periods that were the leading edge of a recession,” Lockhart told the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tenn. after the opening. “Following a sluggish fourth quarter, I expect that GDP for the first quarter of this year will show little, if any, growth.”

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) futures are higher and the small-cap index will open in positive territory.

The bulls are ready for action following news that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) posted a 4% rise in fiscal fourth-quarter net income. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company had a profit of $4.1 billion, or $1.02 per share, meeting analysts’ projections and up from $3.94 billion, or $0.95 per share, a year earlier.

The Russell 2000 edged lower on Friday and continues to struggle to sustain buying enthusiasm on the recent rally off the January lows. The Index closed Friday at 701.52, down 3.80 for the day, or 0.54%.

The market will likely focus on market fundamentals and political news early today since we won’t see any economic data until mid-week. Look for resistance at 704, 712 and 721. Meanwhile, support comes in at 693, 688 and 680.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major American indices fell hard today on news of more losses stemming from the subprime mortgage meltdown. The small-cap index lost 19.17 points, or 2.49%, to 750.33, its fourth consecutive decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) added 218.35 points, or 1.66%, to 12,958.44.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has retreated 4.71%, while the Dow has advanced 3.88% and the S&P 500 has gained 1.18%.

Futures were pointing down and trading began in the red following news that investment bank Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) downgraded Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), the largest U.S. bank, to “sell” from “neutral” on fears that it could suffer up to $15 billion in write-downs on collateralized debt obligations over the next two quarters.

Many loans made to borrowers with poor credit histories were repackaged as securities and sold to financial companies, which is why the industry took a hit when U.S. housing prices started to stagnate in the second quarter of 2006 and delinquencies and foreclosures rose.

Today’s news scared investors and served as a reminder that the subprime mess is still working its way through the system and has the potential to inflict more pain. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that no one knows how many more shoes are going to fall and what the size of the damage will be.

That news alone was enough to ensure that the bears would dominate trading, but there was more to come.

Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), the nation’s second largest home improvement retailer, announced its third-quarter profit fell 10.2% and total sales increased a less-than-expected 3.2%.

The Aristotle Corp. (Nasdaq: ARTL), Transcat, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRNS) and Hastings Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAST) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage gainers:

China Natural Resources Inc. (Nasdaq: CHNR), Spire Corp. (Nasdaq: SPIR) and BIDZ.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDZ) were among the new 52-week highs established Monday among companies with market capitalizations or values under $500 million.

Here are today's 52-week small-cap highs:

Shares of Spire Corp. (Nasdaq: SPIR) have been inspired to a 52-week high on news before the opening that the maker of solar equipment, biomedical and optoelectronics has received a manufacturing order.

Spire received a contract to provide a fully automated turnkey 50 megawatt module manufacturing line, the Bedford, Mass.-based company announced. The order was placed by Martifer Solar S.A., a Portuguese provider of solar parks and a division of holding company Martifer Group. When completed, the project will be the first automated module line installed in Portugal.

“We are proud to be selected by Martifer Solar to lead their first expansion into the solar photovoltaics manufacturing industry, and we are excited about providing this first fully automated 50MW module manufacturing line,” said Spire’s CEO Roger Little in a press release.

The financial parameters of the deal were not publicized.

At 11:23 a.m. ET, Spire’s (SPIR) shares were up $2.43, or 20%, to a new 52-week high of $14.60. The previous high was $12.37, set on Sept. 21.