Tag - Lmnx

Brooks Automation Inc. (Nasdaq:BRKS), Knot Inc. (Nasdaq:KNOT) and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. (Nasdaq:BAGL) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Horsehead Holding Corp. (Nasdaq:ZINC), Aceto Corp. (Nasdaq:ACET), Diedrich Coffee Inc. (Nasdaq:DDRX), Diodes Inc. (Nasdaq:DIOD), Luminex Corp. (Nasdaq:LMNX) and Colfax Corp. (Nasdaq:CFX).

Gladstone Commercial (Nasdaq:GOODP), American Pacific Corp. (Nasdaq:APFC) and Varian Inc. (Nasdaq:VARI) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: RC2 Corp. (Nasdaq:RCRC), Techwell  Inc. (Nasdaq:TWLL), Luminex Corp. (Nasdaq:LMNX), Stratasys Inc. (Nasdaq:SSYS), Orient Express Hotels Ltd. (Nasdaq:OEH) and John Bean Technologies Corp. (Nasdaq:JBT).

Umpqua Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq:UMPQ), Wright Medical Group Inc. (Nasdaq:WMGI) and Lance Inc. (Nasdaq:LNCE) are among the most actively traded companies in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Conceptus Inc. (Nasdaq:CPTS), World Acceptance Corp. (Nasdaq:WRLD), GMX Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:GMXR), Luminex Corp. (Nasdaq:LMNX), SunPower Ord. (Nasdaq:SPWRA) and Franklin Electric Co Inc. (Nasdaq:FELE).

Small-cap stocks remained higher into midday as investors looked beyond an awful reading on employment to snatch up bargains into the weekend. Gains for commodity stocks and drugs shares helped offset weakness in financials. Today’s small-cap gainers are Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq:LMNX), Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) and World Fuel Services (NYSE:INT).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund was up 2.9% at midday, outperforming the broad market indices.  
• Today holds an afternoon press conference by President-elect Obama, who is huddled with economic leaders in Chicago.  
• Financial shares were limping along today and automakers were in full retreat mode.  
• Small-cap stocks remained higher into midday as investors looked beyond an awful reading on employment to snatch up bargains into the weekend.  

Small Cap Gainers:

• Luminex Corporation rallied 24% as the genetic analysis firm also received a lift from earnings news. See (Nasdaq:LMNX).  
• Emergent BioSolutions Q3 profit rises; revises FY08 earnings. Shares climb 18%. See (NYSE:EBS).
• World Fuel Services up 18% as Q3 profit soars on higher revenues. See (NYSE:INT). 
• AmeriCredit announces extension of offer to repurchase 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2023. Shares up 15%. See (NYSE:ACF).  
• Mirant 3Q earnings double on hedging gains, shares up 5%. See (NYSE:MIR).  


Small Cap Losers:

• RHI Entertainment Inc. slumped 27% as the made-for-television entertainment company released earnings results. See (RHIE).
• Talbots to sell J. Jill, pulls outlook; stock down over 20%. See (TLB).  
• Syniverse Holdings down 13% today following a downgrade by Robert W. Baird earlier this week. See (SVR).  
• Bio-Rad's Q3 revenues climb 30%, charges related to DiaMed acquisition cut into the firm’s profit for the quarter. Shares slump 11%. See (BIO).  

Small-cap stocks remained higher into midday as investors looked beyond an awful reading on employment to snatch up bargains into the weekend. Gains for commodity stocks and drugs shares helped offset weakness in financials. At 12:44 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 6.05, or 1.22%, at 501.89.

The fact that the stock market was able to grind higher in the face of the highest unemployment rate in 14 years was a testament to the idea that most of the bad news on the economy has already been priced into the market collapse. Still, financial shares were limping along today and automakers were in full retreat mode as earnings for Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) and General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) was terrible and the companies are pushing for an emergency loan from the U.S. government.

The market might also be a little reluctant to press the downside following the worst two-day rout in stocks since 1987, thinking that the market was oversold into a weekend and ahead of an afternoon press conference by President-elect Obama, who is huddled with economic leaders in Chicago.

Crude oil prices edged higher, walking a tightrope between worries about demand amid a recession for their biggest customer and support from a dip in the U.S. dollar, which makes commodity goods more attractive on a pricing standpoint. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund was up 2.9% at midday, outperforming the broad market indices.

Individual stocks on the move today included Knot Inc. (Nasdaq:KNOT) which jumped nearly 30% as the media company that specialized in wedding plans and life planning reported decent quarterly results. Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq:LMNX) rallied 24% as the genetic analysis firm also received a lift from earnings news. On the downside, RHI Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq:RHIE) slumped 27% as the made-for-television . . .

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:

Graham Corp (Nasdaq:GHM), Innophos Holdings Inc (Nasdaq:IPHS) and Luminex Corp (Nasdaq:LMNX) are among the new 52-week highs in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: LTC Properties (Nasdaq:LTC), Emergent BioSolutions Inc (Nasdaq:EBS), PharMerica Corp (Nasdaq:PMC), Ness Technologies Inc (Nasdaq:NSTC), Met-Pro Corp (Nasdaq:MPR) and iGate Corp (Nasdaq:IGTE).

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

A 28-year veteran of small- cap growth research and investing, Mary Lisanti is president and chief investment officer of AH Lisanti Capital Growth, where she manages the firm’s small-cap growth strategy. Lisanti has spent 12 years as a small-cap analyst and strategist on Wall Street, holding such positions as CIO of ING Investments, senior portfolio manager for the small-cap growth and mid-cap growth strategies at Strong Capital Management and managing director and head of the small/mid-cap team at Bankers Trust Company. Lisanti was named Fund Manager of the Year in 1996 by Barron's.

What qualities do you look for in a small-cap stock? Have your criterion changed given the current macro environment?

“We are growth investors. Therefore what matters to us most is the ability of the company to grow its earnings at an above average rate for a period of time. We do a lot of research, such as interview management, talk to customers, look at research reports and 10Ks and 10Qs, among other things. The majority of companies in which we invest tend to have a product or service we believe is unique and different; they tend to have management teams that we think highly of, and they have strong balance sheets — no debt and several dollars per share in cash.

“My criterion has not changed. The only difference is we probably spend even more now with management.  The quality of management really makes the difference. It’s huge. In the 80s, you would score them in your research reports. People have gotten out of that habit because everything’s been easy and now, now I think . . .

Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq:LMNX) announced today it had signed a licensing agreement that gives it the rights to use ViroNovative BV’s human metapneumovirus intellectual property. Luminex is an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer and developer of biological testing technologies. According to the agreement’s terms, the rights to ViroNovative’s human metapneumovirus would extend to Luminex’s distributors and customers worldwide.

“We are pleased to announce this license agreement in place with ViroNovative for human metapneumovirus,” said Jeremy Bridge-Cook, vice president of Luminex Molecular Diagnostics, in a statement. “This virus is of increasing concern to health care providers worldwide. Having this license as part of our xTAG RVP assay is important to us as it allows our customers to use this cutting-edge test without the need to individually secure rights to this intellectual property.”

Luminex’s xTAG RVP detects and identifies 12 viruses that are responsible for more than 85% of respiratory viral infections, the company said.