Tag - Mea

Small-cap stocks extended the morning rally into midday trading, boosted by surging commodity stocks, which more than offset sloppy action among financial shares. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are American Land Lease Inc (NYSE:ANL), Atlas Pipeline Holdings LP (NYSE:AHD) and Thermadyne Holdings Corp.  (Nasdaq:THMD).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Copper, a key indicator of economic growth, mounted a bounce today, climbing nearly 4% in U.S. trading.  
• The bounce in crude oil prices helped lift energy stocks, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund up 4.8%.  
• Crude oil prices jumped nearly $2.50 a barrel into mid-session despite a rise on weeKly inventory data.  
• The top-performing sectors were dominated by commodities: coal, gold, oil and gas drillers, aluminum, metal and mining shares are all up. 

Small Cap Gainers:

• American Land Lease Inc. is up 221% as the real estate investment trust agreed to a buyout for $14.20 a share, a 264% premium to Tuesday’s closing price. See (NYSE:ANL).
• Atlas Pipeline Holdings LP jumped 43% and appears set to close above the 20-day moving average for the first time since late September. See (NYSE:AHD).  
• Thermadyne Holdings Corp. surged 26% as the metal cutting and welding product maker benefited from the commodity rally. See (Nasdaq:THMD).  
• Brinker International Inc. rose 18% as the operator of Chili’s, Macaroni Grill and other restaurants continues to climb off the November lows. See (NYSE:EAT).  

Small Cap Losers:

• NOVA Chemicals Corp. is off 12%, setting fresh 52-week lows a day after the Canadian plastics manufacturer announced that the CEO would retire next spring. See (NYSE:NCX).
• ADC Telecommunications Inc. tumbled 15% after releasing quarterly results. See (Nasdaq:ADCT).  
• Arena down 12% in pre-market after insomnia drug candidate fails in study. See (Nasdaq:ARNA).  
• Metalico files shelf registration, shares down 2% in after hours. See (NYSE:MEA).

Small-cap stocks opened higher, bolstered by hope that a rescue package for embattled U.S. automakers is finally within reach. Still, Republican lawmakers have been threatening some type of filibuster, so tension about the proposed $15 billion bailout remains high. Worries about fresh corporate profit warnings could take some starch out of buying enthusiasm, but an early bounce in commodities should provide support to stocks with commodity themes.  Some of today’s small-cap gainers are DryShips (Nasdaq:DRYS), Excel Maritime (NYSE:EXM) and Eagle Bulk Shipping (Nasdaq:EGLE).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:
•    Crude oil prices were on the rebound this morning, climbing about $2 a barrel amid talk of OPEC production cuts.  
•    The wholesale inventory report came out at minus 1.1%, which was quite a bit worse than the forecast for a drop of 0.1%.  
•    Republican lawmakers have been threatening some type of filibuster, so tension about the proposed $15 billion bailout remains high.  
•    Today watch to see how miners react to news that Rio Tinto (3rd-largest mining co.) will slash 13% of its workforce, reduce capital spending.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Drybulk shippers are rallying again today with DryShips Inc. up 21%, Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. up 17% and Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. up 15%. See (Nasdaq:DRYS), (NYSE:EXM) and (Nasdaq:EGLE).  
• South African paper maker Sappi Ltd. jumped 16% with the overall commodities rise and as South African shares in general were in rally mode this morning. See (NYSE:SPP).  
• Arc Sight Inc. rallied 13% as the security solutions provider got an earnings-related lift. See (Nasdaq:ARST).  
• West Coast Bancorp to open new branch in Dundee, Oregon on Jan. 5; shares up 4% in after hours. See (Nasdaq:WCBO).

Small Cap Losers:

• ADC Telecommunications Inc. tumbled 15% after releasing quarterly results. See (Nasdaq:ADCT).  
• Arena down 12% in pre-market after insomnia drug candidate fails in study. See (Nasdaq:ARNA).  
• Metalico files shelf registration, shares down 2% in after hours. See (NYSE:MEA).

GFI Group Inc. (Nasdaq:GFIG), Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. (Nasdaq:AGM) and Media General Inc.(Nasdaq:MEG) are among the new 52-week lows in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Alto Palermo S.A. (Nasdaq:APSA), Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Inc. Oppty Fund Inc (Nasdaq:PFO), Metalico Inc. (Nasdaq:MEA), GigaMedia Ltd. (Nasdaq:GIGM), Patni Computer Systems ADR (Nasdaq:PTI) and Maguire Properties Inc. (Nasdaq:MPG).

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

Metalico Inc. (Nasdaq:MEA), GFI Group Inc. (Nasdaq:GFIG) and Media General Inc. (Nasdaq:MEG) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: MF Global Ltd. (Nasdaq:MF), Hudson Highland Group Inc. (Nasdaq:HHGP), NetScout Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:NTCT), Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. (Nasdaq:AGM), Evergreen Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:ESLR) and FortuNet Inc. (Nasdaq:FNET).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

PharmaNet Development Group Inc (Nasdaq:PDGI), Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp (Nasdaq:AGM) and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (Nasdaq:CMG) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Starrett LS Co (Nasdaq:SCX), Cardtronics Inc (Nasdaq:CATM), Metalico Inc (Nasdaq:MEA), Diodes Inc (Nasdaq:DIOD), Seneca Foods Corp (Nasdaq:SENEB) and Dixie Group Inc (Nasdaq:DXYN).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

SI Financial Group Inc. (Nasdaq:SIFI), National Coal Corp. (Nasdaq:NCOC) and MAP Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:MAPP) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Griffon Corp. (Nasdaq:GFF), General Steel Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:GSI), Metalico Inc. (Nasdaq:MEA), Titan Machinery Inc. (Nasdaq:TITN), Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (Nasdaq:CALM) and Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Mexco Energy Corp. (Nasdaq:MXC), SemGroup Energy Partners LP (Nasdaq:SGLP) and Metalico Inc. (Nasdaq:MEA) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.   

Also included among the results: Citi Trends Inc. (Nasdaq:CTRN), Info Group Inc. (Nasdaq:IUSA), Central Gold Trust (Nasdaq:GTU), Century Bancorp (Nasdaq:CNBKA), Pyramid Oil Co. (Nasdaq:PDO) and Union Drilling Inc. (Nasdaq:UDRL).        

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:    

Art's-Way Manufacturing Co Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTW), Century Bancorp (Nasdaq:CNBKA) and MAG Silver Corp. (Nasdaq:MVG) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion. 

Also included among the results: United Security Bancshares (Nasdaq:USBI), Omega Protein Corp (Nasdaq:OME), Metalico Inc. (Nasdaq:MEA), Crawford (Nasdaq:CRD.B), and Lifeway Foods Inc. (Nasdaq:LWAY).           

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:   

WALL-E might be the biggest movie star since Nemo, but if someone doesn’t keep a close eye on him, he too could be stolen and sold for scrap. They’re doing it in Cherry Hill, N.J., Red Orbit, Texas, Farmingham, N.M., and Kingston, Jamaica. In New Castle on Tyne, a dwarf admitted to burgling a house for scrap metal because it was his only career option in a “tall man’s world.” Thieves across the globe have discovered what Metalico, Inc. (AMEX:MEA) has known all along: the market for scrap metal is huge and growing, both in the United States and abroad, where developing countries have demonstrated a voracious appetite for the raw materials fueling their economic growth.

Metalico, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Cranford, N.J., carries a market cap of about $512 million. It has two decidedly unglamorous but increasingly profitable lines of business: recycling metal, and fabricating lead based products. Its recycling business buys ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal, converts it into usable forms, and sells it to a diverse and global industrial base, including contractors in the U.S. Department of Defense. Its products are used in the roofing, plumbing, radiation shielding, electronic soldering, ammunition, and automotive industries, and increasingly in China, Southeast Asia, and India, regions that are busily building ports and railroads as a means of shipping their products back to the United States.

Metalico’s lead fabrication business produces over one hundred different products and ranks as the largest in the United States. As a rapidly growing and acquisitive industry leader, Metalico is uniquely poised to take advantage of the perfect scrap metal storm:  growing demand, rising prices, and a world increasingly on the lookout for eco-friendly alternatives to mining new minerals...

GeoResources Inc. (Nasdaq:GEOI), Metalico Inc. (Nasdaq:MEA) and Shore Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:SHBK) are among the new 52-week highs in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

US Physical Therapy Inc. (Nasdaq:USPH), Louisiana Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:LABC) and GHL Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq:GHQ) are also among the new 52-week highs.

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

Everything from vinyl records to spandex leggings has seen a resurgence in one form or another, and heavy metal is no different. No, not the music genre; we’re talking the recycling of steel, aluminum and tungsten by scrap metal recyclers such as Metalico (AMEX:MEA) and China-based Sutor Technology, Ltd. (Nasdaq:SUTR).

An estimated 90 million tons of scrap metal are recycled in the United States each year, at a value of more than $60 billion. While the United States has become increasingly reliant on other countries for manufactured goods, scrap metal has become a vibrant export market. Domestically, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, two of every three pounds of steel produced in the United States is made from scrap. 

Demand for ferrous (iron-based) scrap will likely continue to climb because the world’s steel producers are replacing virgin iron ore blast furnaces with electric arc furnace mini-mills that use scrap as their primary feedstock. Electric arc furnaces are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, and produce much less air and water pollution. Demand for non-ferrous (aluminum, copper, stainless steel, brass, nickel and other alloys) is also rising. Secondary smelters using non-ferrous scrap can produce metals at much lower costs than primary smelters using ore because of lower labor costs, energy consumption and environmental compliance expense.

Which brings us back to Metalico and Sutor Technology.

Metalico is a leading full-service scrap metal recycler, operating 11 scrap metal recycling facilities along the East Coast, an aluminum plant in Syracuse, N.Y. and five lead product manufacturing plants. Its primary business involves collecting . . .

Here are the day’s biggest percentage gainers and losers, along with top volume leaders, among companies with a market cap between $100 million and $750 million:


• Fuqi International, Inc. (Nasdaq:FUQI), up 19% to $7.25 on news of an improved first-quarter and full-year 2008 guidance.
• Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASPM), up 19% to $6.52 on news it expects second-quarter earnings above Wall Street’s projections.
• Metalico Inc. (AMEX:MEA), up 18% to $14.15.


• AMCORE Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMFI), down 30% to $13.71 on news of a first-quarter loss.
• Epicor Software Corp. (Nasdaq:EPIC), down 27% to $7.85 on news it projects first-quarter earnings below analysts’ consensus.
• Alto Palermo S.A. (Nasdaq:APSA), down 15% to $14.25.

Digital Ally, Inc. (Nasdaq:DGLY), Metalico, Inc. (AMEX:MEA) and Cascal B.V. (NYSE:HOO) were among the new 52-week highs established during Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations or values under $750 million.

UFP Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:UFPT), Raining Data Corp. (Nasdaq:RDTA) and PHI Inc. (Nasdaq:PHIIK) were also among the 52-week small-cap highs.

Here are Thursday's 52-week small-cap highs:

Metalico, Inc. (AMEX: MEA), Orchids Paper Products Company (AMEX: TIS) and Arrhythmia Research Technology, Inc. (AMEX: HRT) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage gainers:

Metalico Inc. (AMEX: MEA) doesn’t just talk trash. The metal recycler is turning in big profits by rummaging through junkyards for thrifty finds, and reselling these in useful forms. Metalico then turns around and buys the junkyards as well. Not a shabby strategy: the company has a three-year annualized revenue growth rate of 51% and an earnings growth rate of 30%.

Cranford, N.J.-based Metalico has grown into a $250 million business by gathering industrial and obsolete scrap metal, processing it and selling the recycled metals to customers, including integrated steel mills, foundries, secondary smelters, aluminum recyclers and metal brokers. Its principal business segments are ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal recycling, and fabrication of lead-based products. It has eight recycling facilities through New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and five lead fabrication plants in four other states.

For Metalico, bigger is better. Late last week, the company replaced an existing loan arrangement with a new six-year deal that includes a $63 million revolving line of credit, plus access to funds for machinery and equipment. Metalico also arranged term loans for $50 million. The money will go toward the purchase of Annaco Inc., a scrap metal recycler in Akron, Ohio, and for most of the outstanding capital stock of Newark, N.J.-based Totalcat Group Inc., which recycles and manufactures catalytic devices.

“These financings support the major steps we’ve taken and will to continue to take to position Metalico as a significant player in our industries,” said Carlos E. Aguero, Metalico’s CEO, in a press release. Funds from the financing also will also be used for future acquisitions, working capital, and general corporate purposes.