Tag - Mrcy

Bowne & Co Inc. (Nasdaq:BNE), Albany Molecular Research Inc. (Nasdaq:AMRI) and Dolan Media Co. (Nasdaq:DM) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Multi Color Corp. (Nasdaq:LABL), LSI Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:LYTS), Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY), Liquidity Services Inc. (Nasdaq:LQDT), Dorman Products Inc. (Nasdaq:DORM) and Molina Healthcare Inc. (Nasdaq:MOH).

East West Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:EWBC), Dress Barn Inc. (Nasdaq:DBRN) and Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:SPPI) are among the most actively traded companies in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Monro Muffler Brake Inc. (Nasdaq:MNRO), JDA Software Group Inc. (Nasdaq:JDAS), AgFeed Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:FEED), Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY), Century Aluminum Co. (Nasdaq:CENX) and Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:OREX).

Dorman Products Inc. (Nasdaq:DORM), Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. (Nasdaq:DTG) and Virtusa Corp. (Nasdaq:VRTU) are among the new 52-week highs in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY), Walter Investment Management Corp. (Nasdaq:WAC), Books-A-Million Inc.(Nasdaq:BAMM), Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. (Nasdaq:PPD), United States Lime & Minerals Inc. (Nasdaq:USLM) and Clearwater Paper Corp. (Nasdaq:CLW).

Ardea Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq:RDEA), Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY) and MAKO Surgical Corp. (Nasdaq:MAKO) are among the new 52-week highs in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY), Protalix BioTherapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:PLX) and Santander Bancorp (Nasdaq:SBP) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Spectrum Control Inc. (Nasdaq:SPEC), Amicus Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:FOLD), Fox Chase Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:FXCB), Citizens Inc. (Nasdaq:CIA), Wilshire Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:WIBC) and Midsouth Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:MSL).

Clearwater Paper Corp. (Nasdaq:CLW), Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ) and Liz Claiborne Inc. (Nasdaq:LIZ) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Century Aluminum Co. (Nasdaq:CENX), Patriot Coal Corp. (Nasdaq:PCX), McMoRan Exploration Co. (Nasdaq:MMR), Venoco Inc. (Nasdaq:VQ), Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY) and Liquidity Services Inc. (Nasdaq:LQDT).

International Speedway Corp. (Nasdaq:ISCA), TAL International Group Inc. (Nasdaq:TAL) and Celadon Group Inc. (Nasdaq:CLDN) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Penske Automotive Group Inc. (Nasdaq:PAG), Monroe Bancorp. (Nasdaq:MROE), Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (Nasdaq:GPI), Albany International Corp. (Nasdaq:AIN), Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY) and America's Car-Mart Inc. (Nasdaq:CRMT).

Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY), Houston American Energy Corp. (Nasdaq:HUSA) and Origin Agritech Ltd. (Nasdaq:SEED) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Community Bank Shares of Indiana, Inc. (Nasdaq:CBIN), STEC, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC) and New Oriental Energy & Chemical Corp. (Nasdaq:NOEC) are also among the top small-cap percentage gainers.

Here are Monday's biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Here are Monday’s biggest percentage gainers and losers in midday trading, along with top volume leaders, among companies with a market cap between $50 million and $750 million:

Biggest percentage gainers:

• Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCY), up 22.8% to $8.89 after the Chelmsford, Mass.-based maker of high-performance computers and software reported third-quarter net income of $1 million, or $0.04 per share. Wall Street analysts expected a loss of $0.01 per share.
• Houston American Energy Corp. (Nasdaq:HUSA), up 15.9% to $5.64 after the oil and gas exploration and production company despite no significant news from the Houston-based firm.
• Origin Agritech Ltd. (Nasdaq:SEED), up 15.7% to $7.50 despite no significant news from the China-based supplier of crop seeds. Investors on Internet message boards speculate a world food shortage might be pushing the price up.

Biggest percentage losers:

• Radware Ltd. (Nasdaq:RDWR), down 14% to $9.15, after reporting a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss and lower revenues.
• Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:ISNS), down 11% to $12.45 despite no significant news from the Saint Paul, Minn.-based maker of video processing products.
• Monarch Financial Holding, Inc. (Nasdaq:MNRK), down 10.6% to $10.05 despite no significant news from the Chesapeake, Va.-based bank holding company.

Stocks managed to climb higher midday after seeing a sell off earlier in the session, as investors digested a slew of economic data and mixed earnings reports.

At 12:45 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) had gained 8.44, or 1.19%, at 716.55, while the Dow surged 135.07, or 1.06%, to 12,898.29.

At 10 a.m. ET, the Census Bureau reported new homes sales in March plummeted to an annual rate of 526,000, the lowest level in 16.5 years, sending stocks cascading lower this morning. Sales were below the 585,000 that economists were forecasting and represented a 36.6% plunge from the March 2007 level of 830,000, and a 8.5% slide below the revised February rate of 575,000.

In keeping with the downbeat economic news, durable goods orders for the month of March declined for the third consecutive month, decreasing $0.7 billion or 0.3% to $212.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau said this morning. This is the longest succession of decreases since the last recession in 2001.

In contrast, applications for unemployment benefits fell by 33,000 to 342,000 for the week ended April 19, the Census Bureau also reported this morning. It should be noted that the weekly claims figures are often volatile, and even though today’s headline number was better than the forecast, the claims numbers still point to extensive layoffs and a rise in the unemployment rate.

Shares of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRCY) fell 32%, or $4.24, to close at a new 52-week low of $8.84 on news the maker of computer systems and software forecasted a loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 despite second-quarter results that beat Wall Street’s projections.

The Chelmsford, Mass.-based company announced after the close on Wednesday that net income for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2007, was $0.8 million, or $0.04 per share, well above the net loss of $0.05 per share expected by three analysts polled by Thomson Financial. A year ago, Mercury Computer Systems had a net income of $0.2 million, or $0.01 per share.

Second-quarter revenues declined 9% to $52.6 million from $57.9 million a year earlier.

“I’m pleased with our second-quarter results, and with our sequential growth in revenue and backlog,” said president and CEO Mark Aslett in a statement. “Although we still have much work to do in improving the underlying operations of the business, we're continuing to see the benefits in the financial results of our restructuring efforts undertaken earlier in 2007.”

However, Mercury Computer Systems’ third-quarter outlook disappointed.

The company said that it expects to either break even or post a net loss of up to $0.04 per share. Meanwhile, Wall Street’s consensus estimate is for earnings of $0.10 per share.

“The primary reason is a reduced outlook at a subsidiary software company in the radiology business,” said Jeff Rosenberg, an analyst with Chicago-based investment firm William Blair & Co., in a phone interview.

Rosenberg said the subsidiary makes software used during medical scans.

Nevertheless, he expects Mercury Computer Systems to continue growing.

“They are looking for things to be better going forward, but not as good as originally expected,” Rosenberg said. “The slope will be different.”

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


• NVE Corp. (NVEC), up 30% on news of a rise in third-quarter profit and an analyst upgrade.
• World Acceptance Corp. (WRLD), up 24% on news of an increase in third-quarter net income.
• VanceInfo Technologies Inc. (VIT), up 22%.


• Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (MRCY), down 31% on news of a disappointing fiscal third-quarter earnings outlook.
• Flotek Industries, Inc. (FTK), down 29% on news it has lowered its earnings guidance for 2007.
• Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (SHEN), down 18%.

Triad Guaranty Inc. (Nasdaq: TGIC), Graham Corp. (AMEX: GHM) and US BioEnergy Corp. (Nasdaq: USBE) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage gainers:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) is the top performer as the major U.S. indices rise on news of upbeat earnings.

At 10:25 a.m. ET, the small-cap index had gained 9.11 points, or 1.13%, to 815.22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) was up 94.78 points, or 0.69%, to 13,766.70.

The small-cap futures were pointing north following news that Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) reported after Thursday’s close that its first-quarter earnings beat analysts’ expectations, mainly due to strong sales of the videogame “Halo.”  The Redmond, Wash.-based also raised its outlook for the full fiscal year.

Contributing to the upbeat sentiment is Countrywide Financial Corp. (NYSE: CFC), the largest mortgage lender in the United States, which announced that it will return to profitability in the fourth quarter and beat Wall Street’s expectations. The New York-based company also reported a third-quarter net loss, its first in a quarter century, due to the meltdown in the subprime mortgage sector this summer.

Among small-cap companies, Callidus Software Inc. (Nasdaq: CALD) has been left behind after reporting a wider-than-expected third-quarter net loss.

In economic news, U.S. consumer confidence tumbled more-than-expected. The Reuters/University of Michigan final sentiment index fell in October to a reading of 80.9, the lowest level in more than a year. Economists were expecting to see a decline to a level of 82. The index was at 83.4 in September.

The small-cap index (NYSE: IWM) closed in the red on news of generally negative economic reports. The Russell 2000 lost 4.74 points, or 0.58%, to 806.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) dropped 3.33 points, or 0.02%, to 13,671.92.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has increased 2.37%, while the Dow has added 9.60% and the S&P 500 has gained 6.90%.

A volatile day of trading saw small-cap stocks switching from positive to negative territory as investors digested news of the latest economic reports and some earnings news.

The Russell 2000 futures were pointing to a moderately bullish opening following Motorola Inc.’s (NYSE: MOT) announcement that it swung to a third-quarter profit and released a better-than-expected outlook for the fourth quarter.

But small caps spent only a few minutes in the green after the opening, weighed down by news that orders for durable goods fell 1.7% in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Economists were expecting a rise of 1.5% following a downwardly revised drop of 5.3% in August.

However, orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a key measure of business investment, added 0.4% after a rise of 1.8% in August.

The major U.S. indices were down but started climbing when the Census Bureau announced that sales of new homes increased 4.8% to an annual pace of 770,000 in September, defying projections of a drop.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) has swung into negative territory after posting modest gains in the morning. At 1:56 p.m. ET, the small-cap index was down 8.63 points, or 1.06%, to 802.22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) had shed 94.29 points, or 0.69%, to 13,580.96.

Trading is volatile as investors appear unsure if the day’s economic news is bearish or bullish.

The bears point to the fact that orders for durable goods fell 1.7% in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department before the start of trading. Economists were expecting a rise of 1.5% following a downwardly revised decline of 5.3% in August.

But the bulls saw a silver lining in the form of a 0.4% rise in orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, following an increase of 1.8% in August. That’s a sign that businesses are spending money on capital equipment despite the uncertain U.S. economic environment.

The bears won the first battle as stocks started sagging shortly after the opening.

The bulls returned to action when the U.S. Census Bureau announced at 10 a.m. ET that sales of new homes increased 4.8% to an annual pace of 770,000 in September, defying projections of a drop.

Data I/O Corp. (Nasdaq: DAIO), Transcend Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRCR) and Mercury Computer Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: MRCY) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage gainers:

Shares of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRCY) are jumping on news after the close on Wednesday that the company swung to a profit in the first quarter of fiscal 2008.

Net income for the three months ended Sept. 30 was $2 million, or $0.09 per share, compared with a net loss of $3.5 million, or $0.17 per share, during the same period of fiscal 2007. Three analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting the Chelmsford, Mass.-based company to post a net loss of $0.09 per share.

Revenue for the quarter was essentially unchanged, coming in at $49.2 million, compared with $48.9 million a year earlier. Analysts were looking for revenues of $47.5 million.

“The results for the first quarter are very encouraging,” said president and CEO Jay Bertelli in a statement. Bertelli explained that the improvement is evidence that the company’s restructuring and cost reduction activities are bearing fruit.

Looking ahead, Mercury Computer Systems, which provides computing systems and software for data-intensive applications such as signal processing and visualization, raised its fiscal 2008 guidance.

The company now expects earnings of $0.33 per share, almost twice the previous estimate of $0.17 per share in net income. The improvement is due to a stronger gross margin as a result of a more favorable product mix and lower inventory expenses.

At 1:07 p.m. ET, shares of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (MRCY) were up $2.61, or 24%, to $13.49. That’s approaching the 52-week high of $14.66, which was reached on April 16. The 52-week low of $10.13 was established on Sept. 28.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) is in the green as news of a surprisingly bullish housing report offset generally negative economic reports.

At 10:42 a.m. ET, the small-cap index had gained 2.41 points, or 0.30%, to 813.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) had added 16.67 points, or 0.12%, to 13,691.92.

The small-cap futures were higher before the opening on news that Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) reported its first profit in 2007. The Schaumburg, Ill.-based telecommunications giant also announced a better-than-expected outlook for the fourth quarter.

In economic news, orders for durable goods, which are intended to last at least three years, fell 1.7% in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Economists were expecting a rise of 1.5% following a downwardly revised decline of 5.3% in August.

On the plus side, orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft increased 0.4% after a rise of 1.8% in August. That measure is a key barometer of business spending and today’s reading is a sign that businesses are continuing to spend money on capital equipment despite the uncertain U.S. economic environment.

Elsewhere, the number of U.S. workers applying for jobless benefits fell less than expected for the week ended Oct. 20, the U.S. Labor Department said before the start of trading. Unemployment claims declined 8,000 to 331,000, while economists were calling for a much larger drop of 17,000.

The following are the most actively traded companies in Tuesday pre-market trading among those with market capitalizations under $500 million: