Equities.com's Small-Cap Stars, our proprietary list of small caps that share the most important fundamental traits with the most successful companies in their industry, returned 45.32% over 2013. Among this year’s list are a number of promising small-cap companies that have the potential to make big gains.
Small-cap tech companies have long been a source of innovation and, when a product really takes off, huge gains for shareholders. The tech companies on the Small-Cap Stars represent the sort of well-researched speculative plays that can fill out any portfolio.
Here are today's top-performing Small-Cap Stars:
Axcelis Technologies Inc. (ACLS)
Axcelis Technologies Inc. gained 5.24% to $2.01. The gains came on a volume of 492,984 shares against an average daily volume of 328,433 shares. Axcelis Technologies Inc. has had a trading range from $2.58 to $1.50 over the last year, it has a 50-day SMA of $1.84, and a 200-day SMA of $2.06.
Axcelis Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures and services ion implantation and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Westell Technologies Inc. (WSTL)
Westell Technologies Inc. gained 3.19% to $1.94. The gains came on a volume of 355,095 shares against an average daily volume of 302,970 shares. Westell Technologies Inc. has had a trading range from $4.90 to $1.62 over the last year, its P/E ratio is 23.5, it has a 50-day SMA of $2.06, and a 200-day SMA of $3.22.
Westell Technologies Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and distributes telecommunications products to telephone companies and other telecommunications service providers. It operates in two segments, Westell and CNS segment.
Clearfield Inc. (CLFD)
Clearfield Inc. gained 2.74% to $14.23. The gains came on a volume of 133,779 shares against an average daily volume of 161,931 shares. Clearfield Inc. has had a trading range from $26.59 to $11.66 over the last year, its P/E ratio is 27.3, it has a 50-day SMA of $15.19, and a 200-day SMA of $18.66.
Clearfield, Inc., manufactures and sells fiber management and enclosure platform that consolidates, distributes and protects fiber as it moves from the inside plant to the outside plant and all the way to the home, business and cell site.
Mitek Systems Inc. (MITK)
Mitek Systems Inc. gained 1.83% to $2.23. The gains came on a volume of 169,227 shares against an average daily volume of 341,220 shares. Mitek Systems Inc. has had a trading range from $7.11 to $2.15 over the last year, it has a 50-day SMA of $3.14, and a 200-day SMA of $4.42.
Mitek Systems Inc is engaged in the development, sale and service of its proprietary software solutions related to mobile imaging applications and intelligent recognition software.
Icad Inc. (ICAD)
Icad Inc. gained 1.82% to $10.64. The gains came on a volume of 86,952 shares against an average daily volume of 100,716 shares. Icad Inc. has had a trading range from $14.11 to $5.16 over the last year, it has a 50-day SMA of $8.14, and a 200-day SMA of $9.34.
icad, Inc., is a provider of image analysis and work flow solutions that enable radiologists and other health care professionals to better serve patients by identifying pathologies and pinpointing cancer earlier.
Small-Cap Stars Tech Companies – New Ideas Driving Major Gains
Any small-cap company probably represents an effort to take greater risks in exchange for the potential for greater returns, and nowhere is that more true than in the tech sector. However, with the Small-Cap Stars, we’ve screened out the available stocks to find those that are most likely to create those big gains.
Our list was built by looking at previous small-cap tech companies and running a complex statistical regression to determine which of dozens of different fundamental factors ended up being the most predictive of future success. Then, we looked at which companies today were the most similar to those companies that made big gains in the past.
Among the other factors, our system highlighted companies with low debt, low cash reserves as a percentage of total assets (because, after all, a small-cap tech company should be reinvesting its profits), and low rate of depreciation.
All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 4:30 pm ET.