Tag - Visn

VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN), Olympic Steel Inc. (Nasdaq:ZEUS) and First California Financial Group Inc. (Nasdaq:FCAL) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: BroadVision Inc. (Nasdaq:BVSN), Monroe Bancorp (Nasdaq:MROE), USANA Health Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:USNA), True Religion Apparel Inc. (Nasdaq:TRLG), Timberland Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:TSBK) and Quaker Chemical Corp. (Nasdaq:KWR).

FNB Corp. (Nasdaq:FNB), BPZ Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:BPZ) and Under Armour Inc. (Nasdaq:UA) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: TBS International Ltd. (Nasdaq:TBSI), Palm Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM), ICT Group Inc. (Nasdaq:ICTG), VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN), Safe Bulkers Inc. (Nasdaq:SB) and Cascade Bancorp (Nasdaq:CACB).

Small-cap stocks started out the first full week of 2009’s trading in choppy, bifurcated fashion, with support from energy and homebuilding stocks countered by selling in banking, financial, gold, telecom and drug shares. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE:AER), Atlas Pipeline Holdings, L.P. (NYSE:AHD) and VisionChina Media (Nasdaq:VISN).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Homebuilder stocks were a strong performer today, climbing 6% amid news that the New York Federal Reserve started buying mortgage-backed securities today.  
• Energy stocks were a prominent supportive influence today, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund climbing 2.3%.  
• Vehicle sales were absolutely awful, but that was expected, and investors saw silver linings in the various reports.  
• Construction spending was off 0.6%, compared with the forecast for a slide of 1.3%.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Amsterdam based AerCap Holdings N.V. is up 55.6% to 5.01. The integrated global aviation company today said it signed a $1.4 billion facility agreement for A330 financing. (See NYSE:AER)  
• Energy services provider Atlas Pipeline Holdings, L.P. is up 28.7% to $5.38. The Pennsylvania co. engages in the transmission, gathering, and processing of natural gas and natural gas liquids. (See NYSE:AHD)
• VisionChina Media, an out-of-home digital television advertising network, this morning announced the renewal of an exclusive contract with Beijing Subway. Shares are up 22.7% to $7.07. (See Nasdaq:VISN)  
• Natural gas company MarkWest Energy is up 20.5% to $11.46. The CNBC stock blog is reporting that traders have been buying calls in MarkWest for the past week. (See NYSE:MWE)  

Small Cap Losers:

• Needham today downgraded Faro Technologies to "Hold" from "Buy." Shares are down 8.5% to $16.09. Faro makes computerized measurement devices used by manufacturers. (See Nasdaq:FARO)  
• California Pizza Kitchen In.c is down 8.7% to $9.99 after a downgrade by B. Riley & Co. (See Nasdaq:CPKI)  
• Fingerprinting-device maker Cogent Systems Inc. is 8,8% lower after a downgrade by Stanford Research. (See Nasdaq:COGT)  
• Calif-based UCBH holdings, which operates as the bank holding company for United Commercial Bank, is down 11% to $5.92 after a downgrade by DA Davidson. (See Nasdaq:UCBH) 

Hiland Partners LP (Nasdaq:HLND), Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc. (Nasdaq:MFLX) and Atlas Pipeline Holdings L P (Nasdaq:AHD) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: OSG America L P (Nasdaq:OSP), VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN), Affymax Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFY), Solutia Inc. (Nasdaq:SOA), Cambrex Corp. (Nasdaq:CBM) and Approach Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:AREX).

DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS), Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd. (Nasdaq:SOLF) and USANA Health Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:USNA) are among the most actively traded companies in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), VisionChina Media Inc (Nasdaq:VISN), OYO Geospace Corp. (Nasdaq:OYOG), Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp (Nasdaq:SNTA), Tower Group Inc. (Nasdaq:TWGP) and Northwest Pipe Co (Nasdaq:NWPX).

G-III Apparel Group Ltd. (Nasdaq:GIII), Emeritus Corp. (Nasdaq:ESC) and Chindex International Inc. (Nasdaq:CHDX) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Otelco Inc. (Nasdaq:OTT), Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. (Nasdaq:HTV), Acorda Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOR), Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:OREX), VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN) and Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc. (Nasdaq:BRLI).

Analogic Corp. (Nasdaq:ALOG), Primeenergy Corp. (Nasdaq:PNRG) and VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: RCN Corp. (Nasdaq:RCNI), Doral Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:DRL), Actuant Corp. (Nasdaq:ATU), Thermadyne Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq:THMD), Syms Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMS) and Rex Stores Corp. (Nasdaq:RSC).

Small-cap stocks turned lower into midday trading, pulled down by worries about the economy, sinking REITS, soft financial stocks and concern that a big stimulus plan announced by China overnight might not be enough to jolt worldwide economic conditions out of the doldrums. Today’s small-cap gainers are AIG (NYSE:AFF), General Steel Holdings Inc. (NYSE:GSI) and Scopus Video Networks (Nasdaq:SCOP).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• S&P's: U.S. REITS may face more negative rating actions; struggling capital markets, awful real estate fundamentals also threaten REITS.  
• Energy traders continue to be ultra sensitive to declines in equities, fearing a troubled economy will squash demand.  
• Coal, agriculture products, aluminum, gold, metals and mining stocks and oil and gas drillers are top performers today.  
• The Russell was the first major index product to slip into the red, beating the Dow and S&P 500 into negative territory by about an hour.  

Small Cap Gainers:

• U.S. plans more aid for AIG; shares up 62%. See (NYSE:AFF).  
• General Steel Holdings Inc. rallied 21% ahead of its earnings release on Friday. See (NYSE:GSI).  
• Scopus Video Networks announces record Q3 2008 results; shares flying 15% higher. See (Nasdaq:SCOP).
• Top executives to buy back shares of VisionChina Media; shares up 15% in morning trading. See (Nasdaq:VISN).  
• Silver Standard last week turned to profit in Q3; shares up 15% today, rising on a commodities boost seen in the market. See (Nasdaq:SSRI)


Small Cap Losers:

• Southwest Water Company slipped 21% after announcing a delay in filings and a postponement on a conference call. See (Nasdaq:SWWC).  
• General Growth Properties down nearly 20% after a myriad of class-action lawsuits were announced against the REIT over the weekend. See (NYSE:GGP).  
• Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Q3 profit declines; shares slump 18%. See (NYSE:CCO).  
• Newcastle Investment Corp. clocked a Q3 loss on Friday; shares are 17% lower today. See (NYSE:NCT).

General Steel Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:GSI), Delta Petroleum Corp. (Nasdaq:DPTR) and Logility Inc. (Nasdaq:LGTY) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Pike Electric Corp. (Nasdaq:PEC), VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN), Silver Standard Resources Inc. (Nasdaq:SSRI), Young Innovations Inc. (Nasdaq:YDNT), TBS International Ltd. (Nasdaq:TBSI) and Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLE).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Penson Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq:PNSN), Buckle Inc. (Nasdaq:BKE) and Protective Life Corp. (Nasdaq:PL) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Crosstex Energy Inc. (Nasdaq:XTXI), VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN), Crosstex Energy L.P (Nasdaq:XTEX), Chart Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:GTLS), AMN Healthcare Services Inc. (Nasdaq:AHS) and Oplink Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:OPLK).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd. (Nasdaq:SOLF), Bare Escentuals Inc. (Nasdaq:BARE) and DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS) are among the most actively traded companies in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), InterDigital Inc. (Nasdaq:IDCC), VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN), Pan American Silver Corp. (Nasdaq:PAAS), Crosstex Energy L.P (Nasdaq:XTEX) and thinkorswim Group Inc. (Nasdaq:SWIM).

Here are the most actively traded companies among small caps:

Hooker Furniture Corp. (Nasdaq:HOFT), Bolt Technology Corp. (Nasdaq:BOLT) and Ariba Inc. (Nasdaq:ARBA) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Brookfield Homes Corp. (Nasdaq:BHS), Transcat Inc. (Nasdaq:TRNS), Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. (Nasdaq:GIFI), Hutchinson Technology Inc. (Nasdaq:HTCH), Hercules Offshore Inc. (Nasdaq:HERO) and VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq:VISN).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Jim Oberweis is president and lead portfolio manager of Oberweis Asset Management and president of The Oberweis Funds. Oberweis Asset Management, Inc. is a growth equity investment management firm that manages approximately $1.5 billion in micro, small, and small/mid capitalization growth strategies globally, primarily for institutional investors and its own proprietary mutual fund family. Oberweis is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He earned an MBA with high honors from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois.

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

“We look for companies that are growing at very rapid rates and are doing so by creating new products that are innovative a way that no one has been in the past. Our favorite type of company is one that comes in with a new product or service and is able to either create a new market or create significant market share by winning market share from competitors. We like industries where there’s the ability to integrate a set of new providers of services.

“We’re generally looking for a minimum growth rate of 30% annually. In many cases we’re looking for growth rates much faster than that. The average company in our portfolio is probably growing faster than 50% a year. You can understand why a 200- or 300-basis-point change doesn’t have as much impact on a company that’s growing 50% a year. Those companies are doing something different and not just trying to grow earnings at a rate commensurate to the overall economic environment. 

“We pay a lot of attention to valuation. If we can buy companies with those high growth rates during periods in which nobody loves them and valuations are sharply below their historical norms, that is a terrific opportunity. Few people actually do it because usually the times when valuations are lowest are falling periods in which the area has reentered the form without marketplace. It’s those times when few . . .

As a business analyst and investment editor, John Christy III, CFA, has long been recognized as one of the advisory community's leading experts on global investing.

Although he offers global coverage in his Forbes International Investment Report, the stocks he recommends are typically those that can easily be bought, such as ADRs and ETFs, by U.S. investors on domestic exchanges.

Attesting to the diversity of his recommendations Christy looks at two new small-cap positions — an "outsourcing" play based in the Philippines and an advertising company in China — as well as a small-cap fund play on Japan.

"India is not the only game in town when it comes to outsourcing," says Christy, noting that the Philippines has been "quietly" developing its own outsourcing industry. And within this sector, he says, eTelecare Global Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: ETEL) is a leading player.

The $200-million-market-cap company is based in Manila, but also has 3,000 employees in the United States. He says that customers include Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T). Its 2007 revenue, he says, should be about $250 million.

Christy says that ETEL went public last March at $13.50, but has since slumped.

"Investors have been nervous about ETEL's exposure to Vonage, one of its key customers. But at less than 11 times estimated 2008 earnings, the market appears to be pricing in a lot of bad news and ignoring ETEL's strong growth potential," Christy says.

Over the next three to five years, he says, analysts expect 20% annualized earnings growth. In time, he says, ETEL should sign up more customers who can offset the Vonage exposure.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) lost ground and fell more than the other major U.S. indices as economic concerns brought out the bears. The small-cap index declined 10.72 points, or 1.50%, to 705.72. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) shed 112.10 points, or 0.88%, to 12,582.18.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has retreated 7.87%, while the Dow is down 5.15% and the S&P 500 has let go 6.86%.

Fourth-quarter economic growth was as slow as initially projected, an inflation gauge moved up, and some small banks might not survive the subprime meltdown, according to today’s economic news.

Small-cap stocks fell out of the gate on news that the U.S. Commerce Department reaffirmed its initial estimate for fourth-quarter economic growth of 0.6% at an annual rate, disappointing economists expecting an upward revision to 0.8%.

The same report showed that an index measuring the prices paid by U.S. residents increased 3.9%, above the initial estimate of 3.8%.

Separately, the U.S. Labor Department said that jobless claims for the week ended Feb. 23 were 373,000, a larger-than-expected increase from the preceding week’s upwardly revised level of 354,000.

Multinational and homegrown corporations haven awakened to the potential of the Chinese economy to impact their bottom lines. That's why companies large and small are investing in China, seeking to tap one of the most lucrative consumer markets in the world.
 
China's growing middle class and emerging affluent urbanites are more brand-conscious than most of their counterparts in the West, and advertisers are aggressively pushing their products and services to try to build brand equity and capitalize on new growth opportunities.
 
This is apparent not only in the flood of Western-style advertising messages on television and in magazines and newspapers, but in public spaces as well. Almost anywhere you go in China — from public transportation to bars to office buildings and hotel lobbies and elevators to airports — there are state-of-the-art video screens, from small LCD displays in taxi cabs to huge billboards on street corners, pushing everything from Procter & Gamble's (NYSE: PG) Crest toothpaste to General Motors Corp.'s (NYSE: GM) Cadillac Escalade SUVs.
 
One company responsible for bombarding the Chinese with these images is VisionChina Media Inc. (Nasdaq: VISN), which runs one of China's largest mass transportation mobile TV advertising networks. Through its subsidiary, China Digital Mobile Television Co., Ltd., VisionChina's network uses real-time mobile digital TV broadcasts to deliver advertising and content to would-be consumers in the People's Republic of China. The company's "out-of-home" network consists of 41,400 video displays on public transit buses and subway systems that reach some 26 million viewers each day in 15 of China's most prosperous cities. Founded in 2004, VisionChina debuted on the Nasdaq in December 2007 with an IPO that raised $108 million. It plans to use the proceeds to strengthen its existing network, to expand beyond the realm of public transport and to make strategic acquisitions.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major U.S. indices are deep in the red amidst recession fears and an interest rate cut.
 
At 10:19 a.m. ET, the small-cap index had fallen 8.88 points, or 1.32%, to 664.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) was down 230.13 points, or 1.90%, to 11,869.17.

Stocks small and large are posting declines due to fears of a U.S. recession and sell-offs on some overseas exchanges.

Increased worries of an economic recession motivated the U.S. Federal Reserve to make an emergency cut in the federal funds rate to 3.50% from 4.25%.

The Fed has not moved to lower its target rate between meetings since September 2001, in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Its next regularly scheduled meeting is on Jan. 29 and 30.

“The Committee took this action in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth,” the Fed said in a statement. “While strains in short-term funding markets have eased somewhat, broader financial market conditions have continued to deteriorate and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households.”

The Russell 2000 opened with a large drop, losing more than 3% right of the bat, with the Dow posting a slightly smaller loss. But stocks trimmed those numbers and the roles reversed, the Dow now posting a deeper decline.

NetSuite
www.netsuite.com
(NYSE: N)
Scheduled for the week of Dec. 17
$114.1 million estimated proceeds
$952.2 million post-money valuation

It’s unclear exactly when this deal will be priced, but no matter: it’s worth talking about. NetSuite offers a range of business management software applications that small and medium-sized businesses can use as they need, an arrangement known as software as a service, software leasing, or application service provider software. Customers can get customer relationship management, eCommerce, data management and other software as they need it, and they can scale up or down as their business needs change. NetSuite has more than 5,300 customers who helped the company generate $67.2 million in revenue in 2006. The company lost $23.4 million last year, though.

This deal’s big draw is NetSuite’s lead investor, Larry Ellison, who is the founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL) (Disclosure: I write for some of Oracle’s in-house publications as well as for this newsletter.) He owned 60.9% of the company before the IPO, and he is expected to have more than half of it afterward — not including the shares held by his children. Part of the appeal for Ellison seems to be reaching a customer base that is too small for Oracle’s products. He’s not selling any stock on the IPO, but he will be transferring his ownership to a separate limited liability corporation in order to eliminate his voting control and any conflicts of interest that could develop between Oracle and NetSuite.

Credit Suisse and W.R. Hambrecht are the underwriters and Hambrecht’s involvement means that this offering will be done through an auction process. In a traditional offering, the investment bankers solicit their customers for orders and then try to match them with the shares being offered. This usually works well, but on occasion, it causes the banks to allocate shares to favored clients or to keep the offering price below what is best for the company. In the auction, which will run on www.wrhambrecht.com, investors specify how many shares they want to buy and at what maximum price. The price at which all of the shares will be sold is the price where the deal closes.