Tag - Xrtx

Hi-Tech Pharmacal Inc. (Nasdaq:HITK), Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:NOVN) and Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq:ININ) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: USEC Inc. (Nasdaq:USU), Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. (Nasdaq:EXM), American Dairy Inc. (Nasdaq:ADY), Fuqi International Inc. (Nasdaq:FUQI), Xyratex Ltd. (Nasdaq:XRTX) and Blue Nile Inc.. (Nasdaq:NILE).

Oneida Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:ONFC), C&F  Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:CFFI) and Central Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:CEBK) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thurday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: HF Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:HFFC), Middleburg Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:MBRG), Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. (Nasdaq:BAGL), Xyratex Ltd. (Nasdaq:XRTX), Colony Bankcorp Inc. (Nasdaq:CBAN) and Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:ASTI).

Pozen Inc. (Nasdaq:POZN), Xyratex Ltd (Nasdaq:XRTX) and LeCroy Corp. (Nasdaq:LCRY) are among the  among 52-week lows in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Bassett Furniture Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:BSET), Loral Space & Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:LORL), 4 Kids Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq:KDE), First Citizens Bancorp Cleveland (Nasdaq:FCZA), American Bancorp of New Jersey Inc. (Nasdaq:ABNJ) and Heritage Crystal Clean Inc. (Nasdaq:HCCI).

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

YRC Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq:YRCW), AgFeed Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:FEED) and A Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq:APWR) are among the new 52-week lows in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: CBL & Associates REIT (Nasdaq:CBL), OfficeMax Inc. (Nasdaq:OMX), Arlington Tankers Ltd. (Nasdaq:ATB), Xyratex Ltd. (Nasdaq:XRTX), Bowne & Co Inc. (Nasdaq:BNE) and Consolidated Graphics Inc. (Nasdaq:CGX).

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

Shares of Xyratex Ltd. (Nasdaq:XRTX) dropped by nearly 8% this morning, hitting a new 52-week low, after an analyst downgraded its stock.

Before the bell, Friedman Billings downgraded the stock to “market perform” from “outperform.”

By late morning, the U.K.-based storage solutions provider is at $8.10, down $0.70 from Thursday’s close, after having traded as low as $7.80 earlier in the day.

Previously, shares had ranged as low as $8.79 and as high as $22.97 in the past 52 weeks.

For detailed price information and news stories on Xyratex, click XRTX.

After kicking off the year’s spookiest month sharply lower, small caps continue to spiral downward, dragged down by the uncertainty surrounding a vote in the Senate today on the proposed $700 billion bailout plan. 

At 12:33 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 9.61, or 1.41%, at 669.97.

The Senate’s vote carries great weight, as the House voted down a similar version of the bailout bill on Monday. The market rallied Tuesday on hopes that a bailout plan of sorts will be passed soon; however, that rally has faded today, as uncertainty over the bill’s passage has become more prominent.  The Senate’s version of the bill would permit the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to temporarily increase the amount of insurance it currently offers depositors should banks fail. The Senate will vote on the bill after sunset today due to observance of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

Given that the status of passage of a bailout plan is in limbo, credit markets remain on lock down. Libor, which spiked to 6.875% on Tuesday from 2.569% on Monday, has pulled back today to 4% and change midday. The “Libor” rate was at the highest point since January and the eurozone equivalent was at 14-year highs. Investors continued to pour into treasuries as a safe haven, sending prices higher and yields lower.

“From tax break extenders to alternative energy to an increase in FDIC insurance for deposits up to 250k to authority to suspend mark-to-market accounting, this bill is going to pass the Senate when they vote on it tonight,” Andy Busch, global foreign exchange strategist for BMO Capital Markets, said in an email. “If the U.S. House of Representatives brings this bill up again for a vote, it will pass [because] there’s no way Nancy Pelosi will bring up a bill that will fail because she will lose her job and so will many Democrats in the election. Congress has an extremely low approval rating from the voters now and anything can easily shift sentiment to the other side.  I believe that as soon as Pelosi announces a vote, the deal is done.”

Lackluster economic news added to the glum on Wall Street. The ISM Manufacturing Survey came in well below the projection of 49.8 at 43.5. The Street was also focused on the ADP Employment survey, ahead of the big employment report on Friday. The ADP survey registered a decline of 8,000 jobs in August, which was better than the forecasted plunge of 60,000. Though better-than-expected, August’s number was revised downward slightly and traders understand that there is a disconnect between the ADP number and the Labor Department’s upcoming data. A consensus of economists is forecasting the Labor Department will report decline in non-farm payrolls of 100,000 and an unemployment rate of 6.1%. ...

Shares of Xyratex Ltd (Nasdaq: XRTX) are losing ground after the provider of enterprise class data storage subsystems posted fiscal third-quarter results after Tuesday’s close below the consensus on Wall Street. Adding to the glum, the company issued also issued fourth-quarter guidance below analysts’ estimates.

“As we enter our fourth quarter and near term planning, we do so with some caution due to the current uncertainty in the global economy,” Steve Barber, CEO of Xyratex., said in a statement.

Shares slipped 10%, or $1.13, to $10 in pre-market trading. For detailed price information and news stories on Xyratex, click on XRTX.

Luna Innovations (Nasdaq:LUNA), Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) and Horizon Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:HRZB) are among the biggest percentage losers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Nashua Corp. (Nasdaq:NSHA), China Sunergy Co. (Nasdaq:CSUN), American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings (NYSE:AXL), Xyratex Ltd. (Nasdaq:XRTX), and Federal Signal Corp. (NYSE:FSS).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Xyratex Ltd. (Nasdaq:XRTX) shares traded heavier than normal as the stock dipped 10% in Thursday trading after the U.K.-based company announced late Wednesday its third-quarter results would fall short of analyst estimates. The data storage business expects earnings between $0.35 and $0.47 per share for the quarter ending August 29, though analyst estimates place earnings per share at $0.62. The stock is currently down 10% at $16.54 per share. Volume was at more than 774,000 shares.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) posted a large increase for the second consecutive session on upbeat financial and housing news. The small-cap index advanced 19.86 points, or 2.91%, to 701.28. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) rose 187.32 points, or 1.52%, to 12,548.64.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has declined 8.45%, while the Dow is down 5.40% and the S&P 500 has lost 8.07%.

Stocks small and large began the day in the green on news before the start of trading that investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has raised its offer for Bear Stearns (NYSE:BSC) to $10 a share from $2 a share. The move is in response to disgruntled employees at Bear Stearns complaining that the original bid was too low.

The bulls gained strength at 10 a.m. ET, when the National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes rose 2.9% to an annual rate of . . .