Tag - Hees

Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. (Nasdaq:GPRE), Hiland Partners LP (Nasdaq:HLND) and Shamir Optical Industry Ltd. (Nasdaq:SHMR) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Greene County Bancorp (Nasdaq:GCBC), NATCO Group Inc. (Nasdaq:NTG), Amtech Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYS), CommVault Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CVLT), Patni Computer Systems ADR (Nasdaq:PTI) and H&E Equipment Services Inc. (Nasdaq:HEES).

NetScout Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:NTCT), SL Green Rlty  (Nasdaq:SLG) and VAALCO Energy Inc. (Nasdaq:EGY) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

H&E Equipment Services Inc. (Nasdaq:HEES), ManTech International Corp. (Nasdaq:MANT) and First Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:FBNC) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: United America Indemnity Ltd. (Nasdaq:INDM), Pharmasset Inc. (Nasdaq:VRUS), Telvent GIT SA (Nasdaq:TLVT), Bankrate Inc. (Nasdaq:RATE), Teekay Tankers Ltd. (Nasdaq:TNK) and NACCO Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:NC).

Small-cap stocks opened lower, but quickly trimmed losses as enthusiasm fueled by another round of global rate cuts helped soothe the sting of yet another sobering batch of economic reports.  Today’s small-cap gainers are inVentiv Health (Nasdaq:VTIV), Global Crossing (Nasdaq:GLBC) and Colonial Bankshares (Nasdaq:COBK).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The latest batch of monthly same-store sales reports are coming out could influence the retail sector in general throughout the day.
• The sobering weekly claims report that was released today shows that Americans aren’t just losing jobs, they are struggling to find new ones too.  
• At 9:51 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 0.74, or 3.83%, at 510.81.  
• The Bank of England stunned the market with a very aggressive rate cut of 150 basis points, pushing benchmark rates there to the lowest point in 53 years.
• The most numbing stat from this morning’s data was that the number of continuing claims rose 122,000 last week to 3.84 million, the highest level in more than 25 years. 

Small Cap Gainers:

• inVentiv Health Q3 profit declines; reaffirms FY08 revenue guidance. Shares are soaring 43%. See (Nasdaq:VTIV).  
• Shares of Global Crossing up over 18% as the company maintains outlook, sees Q3 sales rise 12%. See (Nasdaq:GLBC).  
• Colonial Bankshares up 18% on higher-than-average volume. See (Nasdaq:COBK).
• H&E Equipment Services Inc. jumped 14% on solid earnings news. See (Nasdaq:HEES).  
• Small-cap retailer Hot Topic reported same-stores sales rose 8.3% and raised guidance. Shares were up 8.6% this morning. See (Nasdaq:HOTT).

Small Cap Losers:

• Lakes Entertainment Inc. slumped 29%, plunging a day after earnings and also as a casino referendum in Ohio was defeated. See (Nasdaq:LACO).  
• Entertainment software company THQ posts big 2Q loss, plans 250 layoffs. Shares down 25% in pre-market. See (Nasdaq:THQI).  
• Shares of Citi Trends down 9% in pre-market after the company announces Q3 sales. See (Nasdaq:CTRN).  
• Abercrombie & Fitch's Oct. comparable store sales decline 20%; shares trade over 7% lower in pre-market. See (NYSE:ANF).  

Small-cap stocks opened lower, but quickly trimmed losses as enthusiasm fueled by another round of global rate cuts helped soothe the sting of yet another sobering batch of economic reports. At 9:51 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 0.74, or 3.83%, at 510.81.

The weekly claims report came in at 481,000, which was below the forecast of 475,000 and which included an upward revision for last week’s figure as well. The most sobering figure on the claims report was the continuing claims number, which was pegged at 3.84 million, the highest level in more than 25 years. Americans aren’t just losing jobs, they are struggling to find new ones too.

The weekly claims data often gets extra emphasis right in front of a monthly employment report, and neither the weekly claims figure or the ADP survey Wednesday have raised hopes for a bullish surprise on the monthly jobs report Friday morning. Just this morning, analysts at Goldman Sachs raised their projection for the decline in non-farm payrolls to 300,000 from 250,000 (the market consensus is minus 180,000). Goldman also was looking for the unemployment rate to climb to 6.4%, a jump of 0.3% from last month.

The market did gather some support from aggressive rate cuts overnight in Europe, with the Bank of England slashing rates by a whopping 150 basis points, which put their benchmark rates at the lowest point in some 53 years. In addition, the European Central Bank lowered rates by 50 basis points, and even the Swiss National Bank lowered rates. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said that the central bank will do what is needed to restore financial stability

Tech stocks paced early declines this morning, powered by a somber outlook . . .

Ameron International Corp. (Nasdaq:AMN), CRA International Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAI) and California First National Bancorp (Nasdaq:CFNB) are among the biggest percentage losers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Chemgenex Pharm Depository Receipt (Nasdaq:CXSP), H&E Equipment Services Inc. (Nasdaq:HEES), C&F  Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:CFFI), LSB Corp. (Nasdaq:LSBX), AZZ Inc. (Nasdaq:AZZ) and Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (Nasdaq:TYG).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks took a tumble Wednesday, pulled down late in the session by concerns over the political wrangling tied to the financial rescue plan, which offset optimism spurred by news that Warren Buffett was investing $5 billion into Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS). The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed down 11.41, or 1.61%, at 697.78. For the year, small caps are off 8.9%, while the Dow is down 18.3% and the S&P 500 is down 19.2%.

The White House appears willing to acquiesce to Congressional calls for curbs on executive pay, but there are still other details to work out, including what many consider a glaring lack of oversight considering the amount of money on the table. The market appears willing to wait anxiously for the bill to pass, but each day that lingers could spike angst among financial market watchers.

Buffett’s decision to charge back into investment banking generated a wave of good tidings this morning. If the “Oracle of Omaha” thinks that bank stocks might be near a bottom, then other investors could also be brought back to the fold. For the day, Goldman Sachs shares were up about 3%, but the rising tide at GS didn’t necessarily lift all financial stocks.

The market remains concerned that the mountain of bad debt spurred by the housing crisis is choking off credit lines, reflected by price activity in the Libor market, which suggests strained lending patterns right now between bankers. Hey, if banks can’t get a good loan, then who can? Fresh economic data on the housing front was nothing to get excited about either. The existing home sales report came in down 2.2% at a rate of 4.91 million units, which was off the projected pace of 4.94 million. Earlier, before the opening, the MBA Mortgage Applications Survey slipped 10.6% to . . .

National Financial Partners Corp. (Nasdaq:NFP), H&E Equipment Services Inc.(Nasdaq:HEES) and Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (Nasdaq:PPC) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Citi Trends Inc. (Nasdaq:CTRN), Jos A Bank Clothiers Inc. (Nasdaq:JOSB), Tenneco Inc. (Nasdaq:TEN), Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (Nasdaq:MRX), and James River Coal Co. (Nasdaq:JRCC)

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

LIN TV Corp. (NYSE:TVL), China East Air (NYSE:CEA) and Yadkin Valley Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:YAVY) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.      

Also included among the results: Mid Penn Bancorp Inc. (AMEX:MPB), Endwave Corp. (Nasdaq:ENWV), TechTarget Inc. (Nasdaq:TTGT), Greenfield Online Inc. (Nasdaq:SRVY), NGAS Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:NGAS) and H&E Equipment Services Inc. (Nasdaq:HEES).       

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:           

51Job Inc. (Nasdaq:JOBS), Orthofix International (Nasdaq:OFIX) and Reddy Ice Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:FRZ) are among the new 52-week lows in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.  

Also included among the results: Hickory Tech Corp. (Nasdaq:HTCO), H&E Equipment Services Inc. (Nasdaq:HEES), Maxcom Telecom (Nasdaq:MXT), Arlington Tankers Ltd. (Nasdaq:ATB), MAG Silver Corp. (Nasdaq:MVG) and Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. (Nasdaq:SBGI).   

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

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) snapped a five-day winning streak as the morning’s bullish sentiment evaporated in the final hour of trading. The small-cap index fell 1.05 points, or 0.15%, to 712.68. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 3.01 points, or 0.02%, to 12,612.43.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has shed 6.96%, while the Dow has declined 4.92% and the S&P 500 is off 6.53%.

Investors turned their eyes to the corporate sector with no major economic releases scheduled for today. Futures were pointing up and the small-cap index opened in the green on news before the opening that Washington Mutual Inc. (NYSE:WM) is near a deal to receive a $5 billion injection from investors led by private equity firm TPG Inc.

Shares of the Seattle-based savings and loan company, which needs extra cash to deal with liquidity issues stemming from the subprime mortgage meltdown, jumped almost 30% today.

The Russell 2000 reached its highest level of the session shortly before 1 p.m. ET, when the index briefly rose above a level of 720 before beginning . . .

H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: HEES) CEO John M. Engquist said the integrated equipment services company’s fourth-quarter earnings were damaged by a higher effective tax rate.
 
Before Friday’s opening, H&E posted fourth-quarter net income of $17.1 million, or $0.45 per share, down from $20.5 million, or $0.54 per share, a year earlier due to a higher effective income tax rate of 37.6% versus 23.8% a year ago.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose to $289.7 million, up 34.4 % from $215.5 million during the year-ago period. Analysts projected $281.6 million.

Engquist said the Baton Rouge, La.-based company “feels good” about 2008.

“We’ve got some real key drivers of our business like this industrial sector that are going to be exceptionally strong in ’08 and although the growth rate in [non-residential construction] has certainly slowed down, there’s still a lot of activity there,” Engquist said. “We continue to operate in a good environment.”

Gross margin for the quarter was 29.4%, compared with 32.5% during the same period of 2006.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) futures are pointing up and the small-cap index could open on good earnings news from Ford.

Automaker Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) reported this morning that it expects to break even in 2007 following news of a narrower third-quarter loss. The company beat Wall Street’s expectations by posting a loss of $380 million, compared with a loss of $5.2 billion a year earlier.

Also encouraging the bulls is news that British mining company Rio Tinto rejected a buyout offer from Australia’s BHP Billiton Ltd. The denial spread speculation of more possible mergers and acquisition activity.

But the bears are also in the game, following news that U.S. retailers posted weak sales in October, the second consecutive month of weak performance. Many retailers blamed the warm weather for stalling sales of cold-weather items.

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:

• True Religion Apparel Inc. (TRLG), up 20% on news of a higher third-quarter revenue.
• H&E Equipment Services Inc. (HEES), up 15% on news of a stock buyback.
• Greenfield Online Inc. (SRVY), up 13% on news of strong third-quarter financials.

Biggest percentage losers:

• Kenexa Corp. (KNXA), down 31% on news that it cut its full-year earnings guidance below Wall Street estimates.
• Quality Distribution Inc. (QLTY) down 19% on news of a decline in third-quarter profit.
• GPC Biotech AG (GPCB) down 15% on news of a wider third-quarter net loss.