Tag - GXDX

ArvinMeritor Inc. (Nasdaq:ARM), Drew Industries Inc (Nasdaq:DW) and Isilon Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:ISLN) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Stone Energy Corp. (Nasdaq:SGY), Nanosphere Inc. (Nasdaq:NSPH), Genoptix Inc. (Nasdaq:GXDX), Glen Burnie Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:GLBZ), Tenneco Inc. (Nasdaq:TEN) and Gentiva Health Services Inc. (Nasdaq:GTIV).

LandAmerica Financial Group Inc. (Nasdaq:LFG), Fuel Systems Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:FSYS) and Knot Inc. (Nasdaq:KNOT) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Luminex Corp. (Nasdaq:LMNX), Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (Nasdaq:EBS), National CineMedia Inc. (Nasdaq:NCMI), Genoptix Inc. (Nasdaq:GXDX), LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:LF) and Artesian Resources Corp. (Nasdaq:ARTNA).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS), Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:RIGL) and Atheros Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHR) are among the most actively traded companies in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (Nasdaq:BWLD), Pan American Silver Corp. (Nasdaq:PAAS), Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLE), Genoptix Inc. (Nasdaq:GXDX), Hercules Offshore Inc. (Nasdaq:HERO) and BE Aerospace Inc. (Nasdaq:BEAV).

Here are the most actively traded companies among small caps:

Shares of Genoptix Inc. (Nasdaq:GXDX) have gained 13% in pre-market trading today after the company reported solid earnings after Thursday’s close. For the quarter ended June 30, revenues were $27.8 million, up from $13.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Net income was $5.6 million, or $0.32 per share, compared with $3.8 million, or $0.03 a share, for the same period a year earlier. The Carlsbad, Calif.-based company increased its full-year guidance for revenues of $105 million to $108 million, up from $90 million to $95 million.

In today’s pre-market trading, shares of the laboratory service provider are at $33, up $3.85 from Thursday’s close. The stock has ranged from $20.41 to $37.88 during the past year.

Small-cap stocks closed out the week with a meager advance Friday, bucking the red ink seen in the Dow and S&P 500, which is a supportive sign for stocks in general as small caps tend to lead the way for equities — especially in recent years on the way up. The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) rose 0.50, or 0.07%, to 720.05. For the week, small-cap shares were down 0.78%, which seems pretty tame in the face of renewed fretting about the credit crunch crisis and the highest crude oil prices in the history of the planet.

Crude oil futures shot above $126 dollars a barrel Friday, and have now soared about 11% since the beginning of May amid supply jitters out of Africa, geopolitical tension in the Middle East and tightening stocks of distillates. Not to mention a feeding frenzy from the bulls and a panic scramble by the shorts. With national pump prices already north of $3.50 a gallon, this week’s surge in crude oil prices will be a bitter pill for many Americans, already squeezed by rising food costs and sinking home equity. The ballyhooed economic stimulus package may lose some impact as the funds simply go to pay off consumer debt and fill the gas tank, not to “fuel” economic growth. Some airline carriers have announced fuel surcharges in recent days, and Northwest Airlines (NYSE:NWA) and Air Canada joined that chorus today.

The market came into Friday’s session on the defensive amid renewed concern about the credit crisis after American International Group (NYSE:AIG) reported larger-than-expected quarterly losses. AIG tumbled about 8% for the day, and was . . .

"Bad, ugly times are priced into the market," says Jim Oberweis, Jr., editor of The Oberweis Report. The advisor is focused on growth stocks and is known for his Octagon Strategy, which assesses growth stocks based on eight primary metrics, including growth expectations, financial stability and valuation.

Perhaps the most critical of these concerns is that a stock's price-to-earnings multiple not exceed its growth rate. In other words, if the P/E is 30, the stock must be showing 30% annual growth. This steadfast focus on growth at a reasonable  price has led to a top long-term performance record for Oberweis.

"Fear of the future is what drives stocks lower and when the market is near the bottom, it doesn't usually feel like better times lie ahead,” he says. “But when everyone is betting on bad times, even mediocre improvements can lead to powerful rallies."

One sign that adds to Oberweis' current bullishness is the move by Wall Street firms to lay off employees. "Fears have been brought to life by layoffs at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) and Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC),” he says.

To be precise, he says, the last time the "Wall Street Man and the Common Man met in line at the unemployment office" was in mid-2002, after the dot-com bust had crushed the investment banks and shaken technology firms alike.”

He says that at that time, the investment industry shrank, confidence sagged and layoffs ensued, but as it turns out, it was a good time to be buying stocks.

Wildly successful biotech IPOs are few and far between.

That’s why Genoptix, Inc. (Nasdaq: GXDX), a specialized laboratory service provider out of Carlsbad, Calif., is emerging as a stand-out not only in its sector, but among small caps as a whole.

The company has several characteristics that would make many other companies drool: profitability, strong revenue growth, a better-than-expected IPO, cash reserves and the potential to gain significant market share in a niche area.

Founded in 1999, Genoptix analyzes blood and tissue samples in order to diagnose diseases. It then markets those services to community-based hematologists and oncologists treating malignancies of the blood and bone marrow such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as other types of cancer.

Since such diseases require patients to provide painful bone marrow samples, it’s even more crucial that a diagnosis is accurate.

The company also offers software applications that facilitate the administration of diagnostic tests.

In early 2007, (before going public) Genoptix ranked number four on the new Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies. From 2003 to 2006, its revenue grew a whopping 11,391.9% — from $209,000 to $24 million.

In its report of the company, Inc. magazine noted the firm’s “highly specialized focus on the hematology/oncology niche, backed by software tools that facilitate and speed up patient care.”

The publication also pointed out that Genoptix is one of two laboratories in the country to offer the CellSearch System, the only FDA-approved test to identify circulating tumor cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Founder Dr. Tina Nova also co-founded San Diego-based life science companies Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: LGND) and Nanogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGEN).

If the company’s IPO is any indication, there is indeed some promise. Genoptix initially set a price range of $14 to $16, which was too low. The offering was priced at $17 but it opened and closed at more than 50% higher — at around $25.