Small-cap materials stocks offer a distinctive risk profile, one tied to some unpredictable market factors. That's why equities.com's Small-Cap Stars, our proprietary list of those small-cap materials companies offering a promising profile of fundamentals, gives you another method for finding those companies most likely to make the best of the market they're in.
Here's a look at the five top-performing basic materials Small-Cap Stars as of noon on the east coast:
Primeenergy Corporation (PNRG)
Primeenergy Corporation gained 3.55% to $66.00 in morning trading today. Volume reached 105. The stock's average daily volume is 498 shares. Primeenergy Corporation has a 52-week high of $67.79 and a 52-week low of $33.62, its P/E ratio is 16.2, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $60.85 and $53.51 respectively.
PrimeEnergy Corp is engaged in the oil and gas business through the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas.
Parker Drilling Co. (PKD)
Parker Drilling Co. gained 2.68% to $6.51 in morning trading today. Volume reached 103,551. The stock's average daily volume is 653,323 shares. Parker Drilling Co. has a 52-week high of $8.67 and a 52-week low of $5.54, its P/E ratio is 52.1, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $6.55 and $7.16 respectively.
Parker Drilling Co provides contract drilling & drilling-related services. Its business is currently comprised of five operating segments: Rental Tools, U.S. Barge Drilling, U.S. Drilling, International Drilling, and Technical Services.
Willbros Group Inc. (WG)
Willbros Group Inc. gained 2.28% to $12.11 in morning trading today. Volume reached 51,915. The stock's average daily volume is 339,869 shares. Willbros Group Inc. has a 52-week high of $13.69 and a 52-week low of $6.96, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $12.13 and $10.33 respectively.
Willbros Group Inc is a specialty energy infrastructure contractor serving the oil, gas, refinery, petrochemical and power industries. It operates through three business segments; Utility T&D, Oil & Gas, Canada and Professional Services.
Green Plains Inc. (GPRE)
Green Plains Inc. gained 2.02% to $38.44 in morning trading today. Volume reached 630,073. The stock's average daily volume is 977,591 shares. Green Plains Inc. has a 52-week high of $38.10 and a 52-week low of $13.78, its P/E ratio is 17.2, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $31.48 and $24.32 respectively.
Green Plains Inc is a producer, marketer and distributor of ethanol. The Company has four separate operating segments: Ethanol Production; Corn Oil Production; Agribusiness and Marketing and Distribution.
Gastar Exploration (GST)
Gastar Exploration gained 1.97% to $8.27 in morning trading today. Volume reached 228,113. The stock's average daily volume is 1,516,650 shares. Gastar Exploration has a 52-week high of $9.10 and a 52-week low of $2.60, its P/E ratio is 12.4, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $7.77 and $6.21 respectively.
Gastar Exploration USA Inc is a Houston-based independent E&P engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas and oil in the United States.
Equities.com's Small-Cap Stars - What a Solid Portfolio is Made Of
Small-cap materials stocks can be a tricky game to play, one where macroeconomic trends and fickle commodities prices can play a big role. The best plan of attack is usually to identify a successful, repeatable system for identifying strong companies and then just sticking to it. That's what the Small-Cap Stars does. By using a complex statistical regression to compare previously successful small-cap materials companies, the system can create a profile of fundamental metrics that should be predictive of future success and then grade current companies on how closely they resemble that model.
Among the metrics we found to have the strongest indication of future growth were a low ratio of enterprise value to sales, a low effective tax rate, and a high ROE-cost of equity.