Tag - Gaia

Insight Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:NSIT), Gaiam Inc. (Nasdaq:GAIA) and Talbots Inc. (Nasdaq:TLB) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Dialysis Corporation of America (Nasdaq:DCAI), Accuray Inc. (Nasdaq:ARAY), Griffin Land & Nurseries Inc. (Nasdaq:GRIF), Ames National Corp. (Nasdaq:ATLO), Syniverse Hldg Inc. (Nasdaq:SVR) and Live Nation Inc. (Nasdaq:LYV).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

China Precision Steel Inc (Nasdaq:CPSL), National Coal Corp (Nasdaq:NCOC) and UAL Corp (Nasdaq:UAUA) are among the most actively traded companies in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Gaiam Inc (Nasdaq:GAIA), ShengdaTech Inc (Nasdaq:SDTH), Third Wave Technologies Inc (Nasdaq:TWTI), Ricks Cabaret International Inc (Nasdaq:RICK), Allos Therapeutics Inc (Nasdaq:ALTH) and Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc (Nasdaq:VNDA).

Here are the most actively traded companies among small caps:

Intervest Bancshares Corp (Nasdaq:IBCA), CompuCredit Corp (Nasdaq:CCRT) and FirstFed Financial Corp (Nasdaq:FED) are among the new 52-week lows in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Synchronoss Technologies Inc (Nasdaq:SNCR), Downey Financial Corp (Nasdaq:DSL), Amcore Financial Inc (Nasdaq:AMFI), Gaiam Inc (Nasdaq:GAIA), Rainier Pacific Financial Group (Nasdaq:RPFG) and General Finance Corp (Nasdaq:GFN).

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

(Nasdaq:LLACU)
Scheduled for the week of May 19
$350 million estimated proceeds
$378.4 million estimated post-money valuation

If buying stock at an initial public offering is an act of faith, investing in special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) — startups with no operating assets (and no guarantee they will find any) — is an act of blind faith.

A SPAC is created with the sole purpose of acquiring an operating business with shareholders' money. Despite the fact that few SPACs have found anything to buy, new ones keep cropping up. Liberty Lane’s big selling point seems to be that it’s the first one that mighty Goldman Sachs is bringing to market, which may make it seem more legitimate in a sector once dominated by squirrelly shell companies traded in Vancouver.

Its founding officers, Paul Montrone and Paul Meister, had long tenures with Fisher Scientific, a manufacturer of scientific and industrial instruments now known as Thermo Fisher (NYSE:TMO). Montrone served as CEO from 1991 to 2006, and Meister was the company’s CFO from 1991 until 2001, when he was named vice-chairman of the board.

Fisher Scientific grew in part through 60 acquisitions, so the draw is that Montrone and Meister know to find acquisition candidates and structure good deals. Liberty Lane isn’t the only SPAC with experienced dealmakers at the helm, but not all have that distinction; several SPACs have executives who are more figureheads than deal-makers (Heckmann Corporation (NYSE:HEK) has on its board former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz and former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle).

But no matter how good a track record Montrone and Meister have, they still have to find a good business to buy in the next two years, and that’s tough to . . .

Small-cap shares opened higher Monday, lifted by advances in overseas equity markets, a firm U.S. dollar and a dip in crude oil prices. At 9:55 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 0.86, or 0.12%, at 720.91.

The U.S. dollar was up nearly 1% against the yen into the market open, and pushed about 0.2% higher versus the euro. The firm dollar tone was linked to a $2-per-barrel pullback in crude oil futures, which came off Friday’s record highs amid profit-taking.

Financial shares could find a boost this morning from a jump in the largest European bank HSBC, which climbed about 2% overnight on profit news. Early on this morning, Citigroup (NYSE:C) was up 0.6% and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) was up about 0.8%. Other large-caps of note included Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), which was up 1.2% shortly after the opening on optimism ahead of earnings. Research in Motion (Nasdaq:RIMM) jumped 2.4% on news that the company was unveiling a new BlackBerry Bold Smartphone.

A massive earthquake in China overnight caught trader attention, but a lack of details seemed to leave the market without a feeling for whether or not it would have an impact on equities in the United States.

Looking ahead to this week’s action, the economic calendar picks up steam after a relatively tame risk quotient last week. Not only will the market have to navigate through a batch of important data on retail sales, inflation and housing starts, but there is a glut of Federal Reserve speakers on the docket.

Speaking of Fed speakers, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans was the first one up to the plate this morning, saying that housing was still a drag on the economy, and that growth risks were to the downside, but inflation risk was on the upside. He said that U.S. growth should improve in the second half of the year, but . . .

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

Wall Street appears set for a bullish opening following a day of steep losses. There is little on the economic docket today, except for news about the U.S. trade deficit in January.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported this morning that the trade deficit increased 0.6% to $58.20 billion in January from December’s downwardly revised $57.86 billion. Economists were expecting the deficit to widen to $59 billion.

Exports increased 1.6%, while imports added 1.3%.

Small-cap stocks extended the freefall Monday, sinking to the lowest daily close since Oct. 27, 2005. By the time the bell put a merciful end to things, the Russell 2000 fell 16.14 points, or 2.45%, to 643.97. Interestingly, the late action in small caps was far more severe on the downside than what took place in large-cap issues. In addition, the index snapped critical chart support from January at 650. Persistent price action below that point would open the door for another leg down in the bear market.

The international trade data this morning could spark some pre-opening volatility in stocks, but that report tends to be more of a market mover in the foreign exchange domain. Look for resistance Tuesday for the Russell at 650, then at 654.50 and 660.

Meanwhile, support is at tentatively at 639 and 634, but since we are now at long-term lows, the next big chart points aren’t until 625 and 614.

This week, we look at two small-cap plays in the health care sector, both of which could be considered “vanity plays,” as each addresses the desire of individuals to look and feel better.

The first, Obagi Medical Products Inc. (Nasdaq: OMPI), is an aesthetic selection; the company, with a market cap of $380 million, is a play on cosmetic surgery. The second, Gaiam Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA), is more esoteric. The multi-media company, with a market cap of $526 million, focuses on fitness and health-conscious lifestyles.

"I have long favored medical and health care stocks due to their reduced sensitivity to the economic cycle and favorable demographic drivers," says growth expert Tom Bishop, editor of BI Research. “Few parts of a person's body are more important than their face. It is not surprising people will spend a considerable sum making the old mug look its best, or the young one with pimples.”

According to Bishop, Obagi's dermatology products are carried only in physicians' offices. Its products treat a range of skin conditions, including premature aging, acne, fine lines and wrinkles. Other topicals, he says, help the skin better recover from surgical and laser procedures, or optimize results for those using Botox.

“The company's niche is to focus its R&D on improving the efficacy of skin care products on the market by enhancing the penetration of these agents across the skin barrier, he said. “Obagi's workhorse product line, accounting for 60% of revenues, is its Nu-Derm System, which has been around for 18 years, and still grew 22% in Q2. This system consists of a regimen using six products that penetrate below the skin's surface to correct damage in all layers of the skin."

Obagi also launched its Obagi-C RX System in 2004, which is the only prescription based system that reduces the early effects of sun damage.

In a country where obesity rates are on the rise, fitness-related companies such as Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLUB) and Gaiam, Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA) stand to benefit.

According to a report in August from the Trust for American Health, a non-profit wellness organization, obesity rates rose in 31 U.S. states last year, and two-thirds of American adults and 25 million children are obese or overweight.

This news loosely echoes a 1991 Surgeon General’s Report and a 2001 Call to Prevent Obesity, both of which resulted in millions of Americans increasing their workout habits. Between 1996 and 2005, total U.S. health club revenues increased 7.5% annually, to $15.9 billion in 2005 from $8.3 billion in 1996, while the total number of club memberships grew 5.2% annually, to 41.3 million from 26.2 million. Some 85% of Americans surveyed believe obesity has reached epidemic proportions.

Town Sports International Holdings, which closed at $15.24 on Tuesday, is a leading operator of fitness clubs and the nation’s fourth-largest fitness club operator overall. At year-end 2006, it operated 147 clubs serving 453,000 members across four metro markets: New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

The company achieves operating efficiencies by clustering its clubs, initially opening locations in city centers and then branching out to neighborhoods and suburbs. Town Sports is the largest fitness club operator in Manhattan with 38 locations, twice as many as the next largest competitor, and a total of 99 clubs within a 75-mile radius of New York City.

Shares in The Aristotle Corp. (Nasdaq: ARTL) are up over 11% despite news after Wednesday’s close that the Stamford, Conn.-based company’s CFO and Vice President Dean Johnson intends to sell 13,000 shares before June 16, according to an SEC filing.

TravelCenters of America LLC (AMEX: TA) shares are up more than 8% following the announcement before the start of trading Thursday that Volvo Trucks (Nasdaq: VOLV) sold the Westlake, Ohio-based truck stop operator its 28.86% interest in Petro Stopping Centers. TravelCenters now has a controlling interest in Petro. Petro owns and operates 44 travel centers, franchises 24 and operates one travel center as a joint venture. TravelCenters operates 164 travel centers.

Shares in USA Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: USAT) are up more than 10% following an announcement Thursday before trading that Coca-Cola will buy USA’s e-Port wireless non-cash technology for use in vending machines. According to an SEC filing, USA will receive 5% of the cashless revenues and a monthly $9.95 fee per unit for each vending machine using USA’s technology. The Malvern, Penn.-based company said it expects up to 7,500 e-Ports to be installed by August 31.

These are the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million: