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:
Miller Energy Resources (MILL)
Miller Energy Resources gained 4.73% to $5.09 in morning trading today. Volume reached 237,630. The stock's average daily volume is 506,641 shares. Miller Energy Resources has a 52-week high of $8.97 and a 52-week low of $4.40, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $5.30 and $6.39 respectively.
Miller Energy Resources Inc operates as an exploration and production company that utilizes seismic data and other technologies for geophysical exploration and development of oil and gas wells.
Aceto Corp. (ACET)
Aceto Corp. gained 2.87% to $17.93 in morning trading today. Volume reached 78,053. The stock's average daily volume is 202,399 shares. Aceto Corp. has a 52-week high of $25.25 and a 52-week low of $14.28, its P/E ratio is 17, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $17.55 and $19.43 respectively.
Aceto Corp is engaged in the marketing, sales and distribution of pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients, finished dosage form generics, nutraceutical products, agricultural protection products and specialty chemicals.
Insteel Industries Inc. (IIIN)
Insteel Industries Inc. gained 1.56% to $20.19 in morning trading today. Volume reached 4,101. The stock's average daily volume is 41,746 shares. Insteel Industries Inc. has a 52-week high of $24.26 and a 52-week low of $15.18, its P/E ratio is 30.2, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $19.90 and $19.34 respectively.
Insteel Industries, Inc., manufactures and markets PC strand and welded wire reinforcement products, including concrete pipe reinforcement, engineered structural mesh and standard welded wire reinforcement.
Lehigh Gas Partners Lp (LGP)
Lehigh Gas Partners Lp gained 1.54% to $26.35 in morning trading today. Volume reached 22,911. The stock's average daily volume is 35,120 shares. Lehigh Gas Partners Lp has a 52-week high of $29.18 and a 52-week low of $25.02, its P/E ratio is 15, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $26.75 and $26.59 respectively.
Lehigh Gas Partners LP is engaged in the wholesale distribution of motor fuels, consisting of gasoline and diesel fuel. It also owns and leases real estate used in the retail distribution of motor fuels.
Northwest Pipe Company (NWPX)
Northwest Pipe Company gained 1.53% to $38.42 in morning trading today. Volume reached 9,472. The stock's average daily volume is 39,354 shares. Northwest Pipe Company has a 52-week high of $41.43 and a 52-week low of $27.60, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $37.50 and $36.40 respectively.
Northwest Pipe Co is a North American manufacturer of large-diameter, high-pressure steel pipeline systems for use in water infrastructure applications, mainly related to drinking water systems.
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.