Tag - AVAV

Are you ready for the electric revolution in the automotive industry?

During the past few months, a limited number of Americans have begun to buy the Chevrolet Volt from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and the Leaf from Japan's Nissan (OTC: NSANY.PK).

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (Nasdaq:CMTL), AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) and United States Lime & Minerals Inc. (Nasdaq:USLM) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Silver Standard Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:SSRI), Minefinders Corp Ltd. (Nasdaq:MFN), Michael Baker Corp. (Nasdaq:BKR), Isramco Inc. (Nasdaq:ISRL), DrdGold ADR (Nasdaq:DROOY) and Axsys Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:AXYS).

Palm Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM), Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS) and AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) are among the most actively traded companies in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLE), Zions Bancorp (Nasdaq:ZION), Take Two Interactive Software Inc.(Nasdaq:TTWO), DrdGold ADR (Nasdaq:DROOY), Fuel Systems Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:FSYS) and Apogee Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:APOG).

Cypress Bioscience Inc. (Nasdaq:CYPB), DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS) and Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS) are among the most actively traded companies in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Palm Inc (Nasdaq:PALM), American Science & Engineering Inc (Nasdaq:ASEI), Force Protection Inc. (Nasdaq:FRPT), Arthrocare Corp. (Nasdaq:ARTC), AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) and Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq:ALDN).

Citizens Holdings Co.(Nasdaq:CIZN), China Sky One Medical Inc. (Nasdaq:CSKI) and Repros Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:RPRX) are among the new 52-week highs in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Small-cap stocks climbed back from a morning slide, and made a secondary run at positive territory before gravitating slightly lower at mid-session as a rally in energy and homebuilder stocks was offset by losses in financial and airline shares. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV), AeroVironment, Inc. (Nasdaq:LOPE) and Multi-Fineline Electronix (Nasdaq:MFLX).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The chart picture retains a positive slant after Friday’s solid close above important resistance points.  
• In overseas action, European markets rose more than 1%, while Asia also gained about 1%.  
• Within the commodity theme, crude oil prices slipped into negative territory ahead of the U.S. open, giving back decent overnight gains amid geopolitical tensions.  
• Mining shares were firm overnight and remain a sector to watch in U.S. trading today.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Grand Canyon Education, Inc. and AeroVironment, Inc. established new 52-week highs shortly after the opening. (See Nasdaq:AVAV, Nasdaq:LOPE)  
• Multi-Fineline Electronix is up 23.5% to $15.17 after raising its Q1 sales outlook this morning. (See Nasdaq:MFLX)  
• Teradyne is up 10.3% to $5.15 after Barclays Capital this morning upgraded the company from "Equal Weight" to "Overweight." (See NYSE:TER)
• Eagle Bulk Shipping and DryShips Inc. are posting gains of 10.2% and 5.1%, respectively, in pre-market trading. (See Nasdaq:EGLE, Nasdaq:DRYS)

Small Cap Losers:

• CONMED Corp. and Digi International established new 52-week lows in early trading. (See Nasdaq:CNMD,Nasdaq:DGII)  
• GSI Commerce, Inc. is down 14.6% after a downgrade this morning by Stifel Nicolaus. (See Nasdaq:GSIC)  
• Helen of Troy Limited is down nearly 11% to $15.80 after a downgrade by JPMorgan. (See Nasdaq:HELE)  
• Varian Semiconductor Equipment is down 5.4% to $17.60 in pre-market trading after issuing revised rev and earnings estimates for Q1. (See Nasdaq:VSEA)

Small-cap stocks edged lower this morning, pulled down by ideas Friday’s gains were overdone, by ongoing worries about the credit crisis and the economic recession and by a batch of soft earnings announcements in the small-cap sphere this morning. Losses were limited by optimism about fiscal stimulus plans when President-elect Obama takes office later this month. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV), AeroVironment, Inc. (Nasdaq:LOPE) and Multi-Fineline Electronix (Nasdaq:MFLX).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The chart picture retains a positive slant after Friday’s solid close above important resistance points.  
• In overseas action, European markets rose more than 1%, while Asia also gained about 1%.  
• Within the commodity theme, crude oil prices slipped into negative territory ahead of the U.S. open, giving back decent overnight gains amid geopolitical tensions.  
• Mining shares were firm overnight and remain a sector to watch in U.S. trading today.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Grand Canyon Education, Inc. and AeroVironment, Inc. established new 52-week highs shortly after the opening. (See Nasdaq:AVAV, Nasdaq:LOPE)  
• Multi-Fineline Electronix is up 23.5% to $15.17 after raising its Q1 sales outlook this morning. (See Nasdaq:MFLX)  
• Teradyne is up 10.3% to $5.15 after Barclays Capital this morning upgraded the company from "Equal Weight" to "Overweight." (See NYSE:TER)
• Eagle Bulk Shipping and DryShips Inc. are posting gains of 10.2% and 5.1%, respectively, in pre-market trading. (See Nasdaq:EGLE, Nasdaq:DRYS)

Small Cap Losers:

• CONMED Corp. and Digi International established new 52-week lows in early trading. (See Nasdaq:CNMD,Nasdaq:DGII)  
• GSI Commerce, Inc. is down 14.6% after a downgrade this morning by Stifel Nicolaus. (See Nasdaq:GSIC)  
• Helen of Troy Limited is down nearly 11% to $15.80 after a downgrade by JPMorgan. (See Nasdaq:HELE)  
• Varian Semiconductor Equipment is down 5.4% to $17.60 in pre-market trading after issuing revised rev and earnings estimates for Q1. (See Nasdaq:VSEA)

Hot Topic, Inc (Nasdaq:HOTT), Central European Media Enterprises Ltd (Nasdaq:CETV) and Diamond Foods Inc (Nasdaq:DMND) are among the most actively traded companies in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: AeroVironment Inc (Nasdaq:AVAV), ATP Oil & Gas Corporation (Nasdaq:ATPG), II VI Inc (Nasdaq:IIVI), Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc (Nasdaq:QCOR), ViroPharma Inc (Nasdaq:VPHM) and Silver Standard Resources Inc (Nasdaq:SSRI).

Here are the most actively traded companies among small caps:

Almost Family Inc. (Nasdaq:AFAM), Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:QCOR) and AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) are among the new 52-week highs in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

NL Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:NL), Vascular Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:VASC) and 99 Cents Only Stores (Nasdaq:NDN) are among the new 52-week highs in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS), Hercules Offshore Inc. (Nasdaq:HERO) and Tessera Technologies (Nasdaq:TSRA) are among the most actively traded companies in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Silver Standard Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:SSRI), Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), Pan American Silver Corp. (Nasdaq:PAAS), ViroPharma Inc. (Nasdaq:VPHM), AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) and Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (Nasdaq:BWLD).

Here are the most actively traded companies among small caps:

Small-cap stocks pushed higher Wednesday, recapturing a little more than one-third of Tuesday’s massive decline as technology stocks and commodity shares were back in favor with investors and distressed financial issues stabilized. The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed up 9.87, or 1.40%, at 717.16 and is now down 6.3% for the year. Meanwhile, the Dow was up 0.34% Wednesday, but still is off 15% for 2008, while the S&P 500 was up 0.61% on the day, but remains down 16% for the year.

One could argue that stocks were oversold after suffering the largest one-day rout of the year Tuesday, and while that likely played a role in the bounce today, there were also favorable stories to help fuel the move. It seemed like a majority of the earnings reports were either a non-event or slightly upbeat, and decent results from Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE:TXN) appeared to project an immediate positive tone into the tech arena, which had been struggling of late. TXN gained about 1% on the day, and other tech stocks such as Research in Motion Ltd. (Nasdaq:RIMM), the makers of Blackberry, climbed 6%.

Homebuilders, which were absolutely hammered Tuesday, mounted a recovery bounce today, with the ISE Homebuilders Index rising 3%. DR Horton Inc. (NYSE:DHI) was up about 4% and Pulte Homes (NYSE:PHM) was up some 5%.

Energy shares were higher, even though crude oil prices slipped to fresh five-month lows. In fact, several commodity sectors provided a boost to the stock market, with coal, metals, steel, oil exploration, gas utilities and integrated oil and gas stocks among the best performing sectors. Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX) rose 3% and was one of the top lifts on large-cap indices and that strength spilled over into small-cap energy names as well. It was interesting to see that even though commodity stocks were a bullish element today for equities, the overall Commodity Research Bureau Index was actually down about 0.7%. Part of that slide in physical markets was likely tied to a strong tone in the U.S. dollar, which crimps demand for commodities priced in dollar terms. The greenback charged to fresh 11-month highs against the . . .

AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV), Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:HA) and DXP Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:DXPE) are among the new 52-week highs in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) soared 20.7% to a new 52-week high this morning after reporting late Tuesday that it earned more than analysts were expecting in its fiscal 2009 first quarter.

For the quarter ended August 2, the Monrovia, Calif.-based unmanned aircraft manufacturer earned $4.8 million, or $0.22 per share, compared with $3.8 million, or $0.18 per share, in the prior year period.

Analysts had estimated the company to report earnings per share of $0.18 for the quarter, according to Reuters estimates.

Looking ahead, AeroVironment maintains its guidance of revenue growth of between 20% and 25% in fiscal 2009.
By mid-morning, AeroVironment is at $35.48, up $6.09 from Tuesday’s close, after reaching a new high of $35.63 earlier in the day. Previously, the stock had traded as low as $18.44 and as high as $34.61 during the past 52 weeks.

For detailed price information and news stories on AeroVironment, click AVAV.

AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV), Citizens First Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:CTZN) and Nobility Homes (Nasdaq:NOBH) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Oxford Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:OXM), Cambrex Corp. (Nasdaq:CBM), Kohlberg Capital Corp. (Nasdaq:KCAP), Callon Petroleum Co. (Nasdaq:CPE), Main Street Capital Corp. (Nasdaq:MAIN) and BJs Restaurants Inc. (Nasdaq:BJRI).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks pushed higher early Wednesday, trying to recapture some of the huge losses from Tuesday’s collapse, which was powered by sinking financial, homebuilder and commodity shares. Financial shares were still on wobbly footing this morning, but commodity stocks were rising nicely. At 9:56 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 9.23, or 1.30%, at 716.52.

In the wake of Tuesday’s collapse, which marked the largest one-day swoon of 2008, traders were keeping a close eye on trading in Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LEH), which released earnings under fire ahead of the opening after sinking more than 40% Tuesday. LEH, then nation’s fourth-largest investment bank, confirmed they were shopping prized assets in an effort to raise capital. The swirl of fear encompassing LEH seemed to calm somewhat this morning, with LEH shares bouncing back and forth near steady levels shortly after the open.

Well ahead of the opening, the MBA mortgage applications index jumped 9.5%, boosted by a decline in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate, which dipped to 6.06% from 6.39% the previous week. The market is basically economic indicator free today, ahead of Thursday’s weekly claims report and Friday’s PPI/retail sales tandem, which could set the tone for the finish to what has already been a wild week for stocks. Speaking of economic indicators, in a research report this morning, Goldman Sachs said that last Friday’s weak employment report “Closes the argument when it comes to whether or not the economy is in recession — it is.”

As recession talk in America picks up steam once again, it coincides with concerns that the global economy is also slowing, which has been blamed for some of the recent downdraft in commodity prices. In addition, some hedge funds that were long commodity stocks have been unraveling those trades, exacerbating the move. On the commodity front this morning, crude oil prices climbed back into positive territory into the stock market opening, rising about 90 cents a barrel back above $104. OPEC leaders surprised energy market watchers by deciding to trim output by 500,000 barrels a day at their meeting in Vienna Tuesday, which provides some support to energy prices. Stabilizing energy values however, represents a double-edged sword for equities; while it might support falling commodity names, it also thwarts . . .

AeroVironment Inc (Nasdaq:AVAV), First Advantage Bancorp (Nasdaq:FABK) and Diamond Foods Inc (Nasdaq:DMND) are among the new 52-week highs in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) is up 8% in today’s trading on above-average volume. The Monrovia, Calif.-based company, which designs and produces unmanned aircraft systems, hit a 52-week high early in the day. On Thursday last week, it was announced that the U.S. Special Operations Command had chosen AeroVironment’s Puma AE product for a one-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, with four one-year options. The total agreement is worth up to $200 million to provide for aircraft, ground control systems and repairs, if all options are exercised. The initial delivery order is valued at $6 million.

Shares of AeroVironment are up $2.30 to $30.62 at 11:19 ET. Earlier in today's trading, shares reached $31.60, a high for the year.

Sequenom Inc (Nasdaq:SQNM), Challenger Energy Corp (Nasdaq:CHQ) and AeroVironment Inc (Nasdaq:AVAV) are among the new 52-week highs in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

AeroVironment, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVAV) briefly hit a 52-week high at $28.70 Wednesday after announcing late Tuesday better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings. The Monrovia, Calif.-based defense technologies producer posted a 27% revenue growth, buoyed by growth in all areas of the company. The stock currently is 13% higher at $28.19 with trading volume more than double the average.

Neil George is well known as the senior editor of Personal Finance, one of the longest-running and most reputable newsletters in the advisor industry. In addition, he publishes a specialized service — Inner Circle — for sophisticated traders willing to buy lesser-known stocks that offer a combination of higher risk, but also higher potential rewards.

One sector he currently favors in Inner Circle is solar power, and here he looks at a pair of small-cap solar stocks that are currently on his “buy” list.

George says that AeroVironment, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVAV), with a market cap of $511 million, has been on the vanguard of wind, solar and electric conversion equipment for over three decades.

"Thirty years ago this year the company's Gossamer Condor became the first vehicle to achieve successful human-powered flight,” he says. “The company built the GM-backed winner of the first solar land race, the Sunnyracer. It set the world record for manned solar-powered flight in 1981.”

George says the company has been expanding our understanding of alternative technologies for a long time.

“After all these years it looks like it's now focusing on making some money — as opposed to headlines — as a visionary company,” he says. “Its product lines now have to do with micro unmanned aerial vehicles for combat forces in remote locations, its PosiCharge power system and its power management division."

Although he says that AeroVironment doesn't build solar cells, George points out that the company is a leading force in managing the electricity derived from wind and solar sources. 

War is hell, but for defense suppliers like AeroVironment Inc. (Nasdaq: AVAV), it provides a hellaciously good revenue stream. And if you’re a company like AeroVironment, whose business primarily develops and makes a unique product, 2007 was a good time to become a publicly traded company.

Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment sells “unmanned aircraft systems,” or UAS, to both the United States military as well as U.S. allies. These remote-controlled drones, which AeroVironment has marketed since 1986, bear such names as Pointer, Raven Dragon Eye, Swift, Puma and Wasp. The company says the high-tech aircraft are small enough that they’ll fit in a rucksack. The size allows troops on a battlefield to launch drones like the 4-pound, 5-foot wingspan Raven by hand to monitor what’s over a hilltop or around a bend.

The aircraft not only provide the military with reconnaissance data from the battlegrounds of Afghanistan or Iraq, but also see duty in monitoring forest fires and volcanic eruptions, patrolling along porous U.S. borders for illegal smuggling activities and  making sure pipelines aren’t leaking.
 
Aside from manufacturing the aircraft, the company also develops quick-charge systems for batteries, which are finding use primarily in the automotive and aviation industries.
 
For investors, AeroVironment carries with it a payload of questions, including whether its innovation can bring big returns. While the company’s stock did not crash and burn following its initial public offering (IPO) in an admittedly shaky stock market this year, AeroVironment hasn’t soared like an eagle to the stratospheric price heights that its investors had hoped for.