Tag -  MCRI 

AmericanWest Bancorp. (Nasdaq:AWBC), Insight Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:NSIT) and Barrett Business Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:BBSI) were among the new 52-week lows established during Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations or values under $750 million.

Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCRI), The South Financial Group (Nasdaq:TSFG) and Virginia Commerce Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:VCBI) were also among the 52-week small-cap lows.

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

AmericanWest Bancorp. (Nasdaq:AWBC), Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCRI) and Vasco Data Security International, Inc. (Nasdaq:VDSI) are among the biggest percentage losers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

L.B. Foster Co. (Nasdaq:FSTR), Taser International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR) and Barrett Business Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:BBSI) are also among the top small-cap percentage losers.

Here are Thursday's biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Stocks managed to climb higher midday after seeing a sell off earlier in the session, as investors digested a slew of economic data and mixed earnings reports.

At 12:45 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) had gained 8.44, or 1.19%, at 716.55, while the Dow surged 135.07, or 1.06%, to 12,898.29.

At 10 a.m. ET, the Census Bureau reported new homes sales in March plummeted to an annual rate of 526,000, the lowest level in 16.5 years, sending stocks cascading lower this morning. Sales were below the 585,000 that economists were forecasting and represented a 36.6% plunge from the March 2007 level of 830,000, and a 8.5% slide below the revised February rate of 575,000.

In keeping with the downbeat economic news, durable goods orders for the month of March declined for the third consecutive month, decreasing $0.7 billion or 0.3% to $212.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau said this morning. This is the longest succession of decreases since the last recession in 2001.

In contrast, applications for unemployment benefits fell by 33,000 to 342,000 for the week ended April 19, the Census Bureau also reported this morning. It should be noted that the weekly claims figures are often volatile, and even though today’s headline number was better than the forecast, the claims numbers still point to extensive layoffs and a rise in the unemployment rate.

Shares of Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCRI) are veering lower this morning after the owner of the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, reported first-quarter results that declined from a year ago and missed analysts’ estimates. The company attributed lackluster results to a challenging macroeconomic operating environment, a disruption from construction related to an expansion project and aggressive marketing programs by competitors.

Monarch Casino further noted that it anticipates downward pressure on profits will continue as long as the macroeconomic environment remains difficult and the construction disruption persists.

Shares plummeted 23%, or $4.03, to $13.32 at 10:26 a.m. For detailed price information and recent news stories about Monarch Casino & Resort, click MCRI. 

Small-cap shares pushed lower early Thursday, unable to sustain a mild opening bump when weekly claims numbers came in better than expected. At 10:03 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 6.46, or 0.91%, at 701.65.

The New Home Sales report, which came out at 10:00 a.m. ET were weak, which was no surprise, and took some of the supportive edge off the weekly claims data. New home sales were at an annual rate of 526,000 last month, which was below the forecast of 585,000, and was the lowest rate since October 1991.

It should be noted that durable goods orders, which also came out ahead of the opening this morning, were softer than expected. In addition, the weekly claims figures are often volatile, and even though today’s headline number was better than the forecast, the claims numbers still point to extensive layoffs and a rise in the unemployment rate.

Even though the market was able to sink its teeth into some fresh economic data this morning for the first time since Tuesday, the focus point remains fixed on earnings, which served up mixed signals into today’s action.

Among large-cap headline companies, Starbucks Corp. (Nasdaq:SBUX) missed the forecast and was pummeled early today, trading down 10% just after the cash U.S. opening. In addition, Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq:AMZN) had sloppy results and was down 4% early today. On the upside, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) had a surprising . . .

Here are the biggest percentage gainers and losers in pre-market trading among companies with a market cap between $50 million and $750 million:

Biggest percentage gainers:

• Encore Wire Corp. (Nasdaq:WIRE), up 20% after swinging to a first-quarter profit that substantially beat the Street.

• Spartan Motors Inc. (Nasdaq:SPAR), up 15% on first-quarter earnings and revenue that substantially beat the Street.

• Pozen, Inc. (Nasdaq:POZN), up 8%.

Biggest percentage losers:

• Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCRI), down 11% after reporting first-quarter results that declined from the year-ago period and missed analysts’ estimates.

• L.B. Foster Company (Nasdaq:FSTR), down 9% after reporting first-quarter revenues that missed the consensus on Wall Street.

• LSI Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:LYTS), down 8%, after reporting first-quarter earnings declined 70% from the year ago period and missed analysts’ estimates.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) futures are rising and the small-cap index will likely open in the green.

Small-cap stocks are set for a bullish opening on news that General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reported a fourth-quarter profit from continuing operations of $6.82 billion, or $0.68 per share, compared with $5.95 billion, or $0.58 per share, a year earlier. The result matches analysts’ expectations.

Investors will be paying attention to the Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index for January, which will be released at 10 a.m. ET. The index measures consumers’ willingness to spend money. Economists are expecting to see a small decline.

Here are the biggest percentage gainers and losers in pre-market trading among companies with a market cap between $100 million and $750 million:

Biggest percentage gainers:

• Comtech Group, Inc. (COGO), up 10%.
• MedCath Corp. (MDTH), up 9%.
• Globecomm Systems, Inc. (GCOM), up 9%.

Biggest percentage losers:

• Seattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN), down 5% on news of a 10 million share public offering priced at $9 a share.
• Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (MCRI), down 4%.
• Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. (ISLE), down 2%.