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:
Parker Drilling Co. (PKD)
Parker Drilling Co. gained 12.15% to $6.79 in morning trading today. Volume reached 763,253 by noon. The stock's average daily volume is 573,142 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 49.3, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $6.57 and $7.17 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.
Aceto Corp. (ACET)
Aceto Corp. gained 2.76% to $17.47 in morning trading today. Volume reached 42,145 by noon. The stock's average daily volume is 178,479 shares. Aceto Corp. has a 52-week high of $25.25 and a 52-week low of $14.28, its P/E ratio is 16.6, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $17.44 and $19.51 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.
Miller Energy Resources (MILL)
Miller Energy Resources gained 2.32% to $4.85 in morning trading today. Volume reached 41,389 by noon. The stock's average daily volume is 536,740 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 $5.31 and $6.24 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.
Gastar Exploration (GST)
Gastar Exploration gained 1.9% to $6.45 in morning trading today. Volume reached 260,811 by noon. The stock's average daily volume is 1,042,373 shares. Gastar Exploration has a 52-week high of $9.10 and a 52-week low of $2.60, its P/E ratio is 9.7, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $7.84 and $6.37 respectively.
Gastar Exploration Inc is an independent energy company. It is engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs in the US.
Penford Corporation (PENX)
Penford Corporation gained 1.75% to $12.09 in morning trading today. Volume reached 17,177 by noon. The stock's average daily volume is 143,404 shares. Penford Corporation has a 52-week high of $15.31 and a 52-week low of $10.71, its P/E ratio is 39.1, and its 50-day SMA and 200-day SMA are $11.93 and $12.70 respectively.
Penford Corp is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty natural-based ingredient systems for many industrial and food applications.
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.
All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 12:00 pm ET.