Tag - Xide

Earnings season always puts me on edge. It’s a time when I get to either confirm that I'm right on my research, or confirm that I'm wrong. Of course, sometimes a company reports results that fall somewhere in between my expectations - in those cases I need to dig a bit deeper to find out how accurate I was.

But there's one thing that I hate more than anything. When I have a gut feeling about a company, but don't act on it because I haven't had the time to do the in depth due diligence that I always do before buying, or recommending others buy, shares. 

World Heart Corp. (Nasdaq:WHRT), Anika Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ANIK) and Standex International Corp. (Nasdaq:SXI) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Regis Corp. (Nasdaq:RGS), Southern National Bancorp Of Virginia Inc. (Nasdaq:SONA), Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE), Shamir Optical Industry Ltd. (Nasdaq:SHMR) and Saga Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:SGA).

Vivus Inc. (Nasdaq:VVUS), Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE) and GigaMedia Ltd. (Nasdaq:GIGM) are among the most actively traded companies in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Omniture Inc (Nasdaq:OMTR), Federal Mogul Corp. (Nasdaq:FDML), Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd. (Nasdaq:SOLF), Ceradyne Inc. (Nasdaq:CRDN), STEC Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC) and SunPower (Nasdaq:SPWRA).

AgFeed Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:FEED), Paragon Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq:PRGN) and MannKind Corp. (Nasdaq:MNKD) are among the most actively traded companies in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: BioDelivery Sciences International Inc. (Nasdaq:BDSI), Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), UAL Corp. (Nasdaq:UAUA), Geron Corp. (Nasdaq:GERN), Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE) and Vivus Inc. (Nasdaq:VVUS).

Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE), Cascade Corp. (Nasdaq:CAE) and First Community Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq:FCBC) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: LCA Vision Inc. (Nasdaq:LCAV), Union Drilling Inc. (Nasdaq:UDRL), Heritage Crystal Clean Inc. (Nasdaq:HCCI), Central Pacific Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:CPF), Volcom Inc. (Nasdaq:VLCM) and Western Refining Inc. (Nasdaq:WNR).

Opening volume was higher in this morning's session with all the major indices, except the Dow, trading in the negative. As of press time at 10:40 A.M. Eastern the Dow is trading just positive at 8,768.67 while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 were down 0.10% and 0.04%, respectively.

Leading small cap gainers today was Real Goods Solar (Nasdaq:RSOL) up 42% on news of a $30 million contract to install a solar power program for the Freemont Union School District in California. RSOL is a commercial solar energy integrator in the California and Colorado markets.

Other gainers in this morning's session include Cadiz (Nasdaq:CDZI) up 40%; American Woodmark (Nasdaq:AMWD) up 18.9% on posting a surprise Q4 profit; and Chinese solar firm Renesola (NYSE:SOL) up 16.9%.

Small cap decliners include United PanAm Financial (Nasdaq:UPFC) down $1.02 to $2.96 for a loss of 26.1% after a notice of delisting from the Nasdaq; Hawkins (Nasdaq:HWKN) down 14.1%; Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE) down 16.2%.

No sooner do I say that the news cycle is turning negative, we get some significant upgrades in the financial sector. Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) got an "outperform" rating and rose 5.2%.

RBC Capital Markets called KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) a "top pick" and the shares ramped 20%. And Fifth Third Bancorp (Nasdaq:FITB) rose 7% after it reported that it has filled the capital shortfall identified during the Treasury's "stress tests."

At least for a day, the financials re-took their leadership for the markets. Though it should be noted that the Financials ETF (AMEX:XLF) has not made a new high, and the financials are sharing the stage with energy stocks.

*****Money managers report that a lot of cash is sitting in the sidelines. Both individual and institutional investors have been slow to get back into the stock market.

Of course, that's exactly the scenario that can keep stocks moving higher. At least, so long as the economic data doesn't take a turn for the worse.

*****Citigroup reported in a research note that put options volume is picking up and so is the Volatility Index, the VIX. Investors buy put options to profit form downside moves for stock prices. Institutional investors protect gains in large portfolios with put options.

The VIX measures the cost of put options. When it rises, it means that investors see increasing risk in the stock market. Citigroup's chief technical analyst, Tom Fitzpatrick, believes the rise in the VIX is showing "strong warning signals" for the rally.

*****Bulls vs. Bears, fear vs. greed - that's what it always comes down to. Will the analysts who see better times ahead for the banks win out? Or will those who see "warning signs" be right? As always, we'll see…

*****The gains just keep coming for SmallCapInvestor PRO stocks. Since March, we've seen a 152% gain from our top oil stock, and we had Genco Shipping (NYSE:GNK) hit triple-digit territory before recent weakness took it below that threshold. 

Now, one of our top China stocks is knocking on the triple-digit door.  The obvious catalyst for this stock will is that it moves off the over-the-counter market and starts trading on the Nasdaq as soon as today. I expect the increased exposure to help drive the share prices higher. 

This stock blew through our conservative $8 price target. The new listing and rising prices for its product will have a positive influence on shares. Our target price is being raised to $14 per share. That's about 40% higher from current prices. 

I am very bullish on Chinese stocks. And SmallCapInvestor PRO now has 3 Chinese stocks in the portfolio. In fact, we just added one on Wednesday. I've put all three stocks in a brand new Special Report called "Going for Growth: 3 Top Chinese Stocks to Buy NOW." Find out how to get your copy HERE.

Small-cap stocks turned lower into midday trading, as hopes for a recovery in bank stocks appeared to be fleeting, which added to investor unease about the timing of a recovery out of the recession and about the prolonged credit crunch. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were Terra Industries (NYSE:TRA), First Horizon (NYSE:FHN) and JBT Corporation (NYSE:JBT).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Sectors doing well today including power companies, oil refiners, gas utilities, vintners, utility companies, health care equipment providers and food retail stocks.  
• On the slide are diversified banks, diverse financial services firms, regional banks, investment banks and consumer finance companies.  
• Small-cap stocks turned lower into midday trading, as hopes for a recovery in bank stocks appeared to be fleeting.  
• The yield on benchmark 10-year notes was up 8% early on, climbing back to 2.37% after slipping below 2.2% Thursday.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Terra Industries up 19% on takeover bid. See (NYSE:TRA).  
• First Horizon shares jump 18% on narrower 4Q loss. See (NYSE:FHN).  
• JBT Corporation wins $6.9 million gate equipment order for major U.S. airport; shares rise 12%. See (NYSE:JBT).  
• Exterran Partners LP rose 12%, leaving a little double bottom on daily charts with Thursday’s low. See (Nasdaq:EXLP). 

Small Cap Losers:

• Life sciences company Cambrex Corporation down 18% on lower-than-average volume. See (NYSE:CBM).
• Spartech Corporation down over 17% after being downgraded to "underweight" earlier this week. See (NYSE:SEH).  
• Inter Parfums Inc. was off 14% as the cosmetics maker was caught in a broad-based sell-off of beauty and cosmetics providers. See (Nasdaq:IPAR).
• Exide Technologies tumbled 21% as the battery maker gave back a huge chunk of a nice rally that coincided closely with the overall market bottom back on Nov. 20. See (Nasdaq:XIDE).

Small-cap stocks turned lower into midday trading, as hopes for a recovery in bank stocks appeared to be fleeting, which added to investor unease about the timing of a recovery out of the recession and about the prolonged credit crunch. At 12:16 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 6.14, or 1.33%, at 456.49.

The spotlight this week has been shining brightly on bank stocks, but they have retreated badly from that glare as some of the big-name banks have reported massive quarterly losses. Even an infusion of another $20 billion into No. 1 bank, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC), wasn’t enough to rescue the day, as BAC shares not only gave up sizable morning gains, but were off some 10% at mid-session. Meanwhile, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) reported jolting quarterly losses of some $8.2 billion and also gave back morning gains to be near steady at midday.

Looking at S&P sector activity, the worst performers were clearly coming out of the financial arena and included diversified banks, diverse financial services firms, regional banks, investment banks and consumer finance companies. Other groups struggling included auto parts firms, motorcycle manufacturers and automobile manufacturers, which is a switch from overnight trends as those groups did well in Asia and Europe.

Although the weaker stocks were losing more on a percentage basis than the gainers, sectors doing well today including power companies, oil refiners, gas utilities, vintners, utility companies, health care equipment providers and food retail stocks.

Energy shares were modestly higher so far today, crude oil price activity has been choppy so far today, but a blast of arctic air seems to be providing support, even though the rug was pulled out from under equities.

Small cap firms on the rise today included Exterran Partners LP, as the natural gas firm rose 12%, leaving a little double bottom on daily charts with Thursday’s low. On the downside, Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE) tumbled 21% as the battery maker gave back a huge chunk of a nice rally that coincided closely with . . .

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

Also included among the results: Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq:CIEN), Sonic Corp. (Nasdaq:SONC), Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:IDEV), Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLE), NetScout Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:NTCT) and Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE).

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:

Sizeable insider buying by a smart money hedge fund and a beaten-down stock price make Patrick Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq:PATK) a small-cap play worth putting on the radar.

Billionaire investor Jeffrey Gendell has made his fortune patiently making big bets in sectors when they are out of favor. As part of this strategy, his Tontine Capital hedge fund selectively invests in the private placements of small-cap companies. Tontine-led private placement homeruns in recent years have included Broadwind Energy, Inc. (OTCBB:BWEN), MISCOR Group Ltd. (OTCBB:MIGL), Exide Technologies (Nasdaq:XIDE) and Matrix Service Co. (Nasdaq:MTRX). Given this record, Tontine’s recent increased bet on Patrick Industries, a manufacturer of component products and a distributor of building products serving the recreational vehicle (RV), manufactured housing and industrial markets, caught my eye.

Near the end of June, Patrick completed a previously announced Tontine-led rights offering and standby purchase agreement at a price of $7 a share. In total, the rights offering and standby purchase agreement raised gross proceeds of nearly $13 million. Since the start of 2008, Tontine has now pumped nearly $20 million in cash into Patrick, boosting its stake in the $67 million market capitalization company to 57%. This continued vote of confidence by Tontine in Patrick comes in the face of the company’s stock having been walloped over the past year. At Monday’s closing price of $7.30, Patrick shares have tumbled over 50% from the $17 they fetched last July.

In May 2007, Elkhart, Ind.-based Patrick acquired rival Adorn, a manufacturer and supplier of interior components to the RV and manufactured housing industries, for nearly $79 million in cash. This acquisition virtually doubled Patrick’s manufacturing sales volume and significantly increased its market share. Since closing the Adorn deal, Patrick has focused on consolidating overlapping facilities to boost capacity utilization and improve operating efficiencies. This integration activity has come at a dicey time for Patrick with the housing industry in a downturn and RV sales suffering . . .

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) jumped more than 3% today as investors seized on speculation of an upcoming interest rate cut. The small-cap index gained 26.77 points, or 3.60%, to 770.04. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) added 331.01 points, or 2.55%, to 13,289.45.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has lost 2.21%, while the Dow has advanced 6.53% and the S&P 500 is up 3.70%.

The bulls completely dominated today’s session, their enthusiasm fueled by speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve is considering lowering its target interest rate when it next meets on Dec. 11.            

It all started with U.S. Federal Reserve vice chairman Donald Kohn, who told an audience in New York the current economic conditions “require flexible and pragmatic policymaking—nimble is the adjective I used a few weeks ago.”

“The increased turbulence of recent weeks partly reversed some of the improvement in market functioning over the late part of September and in October,” Kohn explained. “Should the elevated turbulence persist, it would increase the possibility of further tightening in financial conditions for households and businesses.”

Investors interpreted the remarks as a sign that the U.S. central bank is mulling a cut in the federal funds rate, the rate at which commercial banks make overnight loans to each other. The Fed lowered the rate to 4.50% from 4.75% when it last met on Oct. 31.

Stocks opened strong and added to their gains as the session progressed.

It’s a good thing Kohn focused investors’ attention away from the economy, because the data that came out today painted a bleak picture.

Air filters and piping systems maker MFRI, Inc. (Nasdaq: MFRI) said strong sales prompted its first-quarter profit to multiply six times over the year-ago period. The Niles, Ill.-based company reported income for the first quarter ended April 30 was $1 million, or $0.15 per share, up from $151,000, or $0.03 per share, a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial predicted earnings of $0.10 per share.

NeurogesX Inc. (Nasdaq: NGSX) announced it has completed enrollment for the third trial phase of its postherpetic neuralgia treatment NGX-4010.

Boosted by increased pricing and operational improvements, Exide Technologies’ (Nasdaq: XIDE) fourth quarter loss narrowed from the year-ago period. The battery maker reported a quarterly loss of $21.6 million, or $0.35 per share, compared with a loss of $76.3 million, or $2.98 per share, a year earlier.

Cano Petroleum, Inc. (AMEX: CFW) said it sold its Rich Valley, Okl. property to a private company for $7.0 million.

Solar energy equipment maker Amtech Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASYS) announced $4.1 million in new orders from Asia. The Tempe, Ariz.-based company said it expects to deliver the orders in six months.

Rock Hill, S.C.-based 3D Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: TDSC) announced its Tangible Express technology will be featured in the July issue of “Plastics Technology” magazine.

These are the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million: