Tag - Ssi

Insight Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:NSIT), AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAG) and Liberty Media Corp. (Nasdaq:LCAPB) are among the new 52-week lows in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Stage Stores Inc. (Nasdaq:SSI), Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq:CLNE), Forest City Enterprises (Nasdaq:FCE.A), Conn's Inc. (Nasdaq:CONN), Willbros Group Inc. (Nasdaq:WG) and Pericom Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq:PSEM).

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

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (Nasdaq:CTB), Zones Inc. (Nasdaq:ZONS) and FirstFed Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:FED) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAG), Meritage Homes Corp. (Nasdaq:MTH), Macquarie Infrastructure Co LLC (Nasdaq:MIC), Stage Stores Inc. (Nasdaq:SSI), Magal Security Systems (Nasdaq:MAGS) and PHH Corp. (Nasdaq:PHH).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Stage Stores Inc.’s (NYSE:SSI) shares were up 4% this morning following the department store operator’s pre-bell announcement that its second-quarter earnings had topped analysts’ estimates by $0.02.

For the quarter ended Aug. 2, the Houston company earned $9.7 million, or $0.25 per share, compared with $9.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the prior year period.

Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were expecting earnings per share of $0.23.

Stage Stories said the quarter’s results benefited from higher-than-projected sales in May and June and from a positive impact from tight inventory and expense controls.

By late morning, Stage Stores is at $15.45, up $0.62 from Wednesday’s close. The stock has ranged between $9.90 and $19.96 in the past year.

For detailed price information and news stories on Stage Stores, click SSI.

Small-cap stocks put together a solid rally Tuesday, essentially recapturing the lost ground from Monday’s sharp decline. The market got an early boost from sinking crude oil prices, and extended those gains after the FOMC report failed to spark any fresh concerns. The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed up 16.90, or 2.40% at 721.04. In the last three weeks, the market has generated one-day rallies of more than 2% on four occasions, which is an unusually large number of singular big-rally days jammed into such a short time frame.

Foreign exchange markets seemed to say that the Fed was on the right path, with the U.S. dollar jumping more than 100 basis points against the euro, and the dollar index climbing to the highest point since mid-June. In general, at this stage of the economic cycle, a strong greenback is seen as a sign of strength for the U.S. economy, and should encourage foreign asset flow into the U.S. stock market.

As for today’s big FOMC report, there was some mild intraday volatility associated with the statement, but the overall response was one of comfort. There is still a diversity of opinion about whether the Fed is in a position to fight inflation with tighter policy because of rising unemployment and soft economic conditions, but there also is a sense that the recent pullback in energy prices and other commodity markets may have provided the FOMC members with some valuable time and breathing room to combat a difficult situation...

Pricesmart Inc (Nasdaq:PSMT), BancTrust Financial Group Inc (Nasdaq:BTFG) and AH Belo Corp (Nasdaq:AHC) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Nanosphere Inc (Nasdaq:NSPH), Hovnanian Inc(Nasdaq:HOV), Ames National Corp (Nasdaq:ATLO), Severn Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:SVBI), Stage Stores Inc (Nasdaq:SSI) and VeriFone Holdings Inc (Nasdaq:PAY).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Shares of Stage Stores, Inc. (NYSE:SSI) are in the red on news before the start of trading that the department store retailer has lowered its first-quarter earnings forecast. The Houston-based company announced that it expects net income for the three months ended April 7 in the range between $0.05 per share and $0.08 per share, compared with a previous guidance of net income between $0.13 per share and $0.16 per share.

At 2:17 p.m. ET, the stock had declined $1.46, or 9%, to $13.98.