Whew. As much of the country sweltered in July's heat, and all
eyes were on the spending stalemate in Washington, stock investors
scurried to find safe havens.
A wave of positive earnings news on Friday helped small-cap
investors generally pick out some individual winners and emerge
from the month in better shape than their large-cap brethren.
However, the two leading indexes that track small caps, the Russell
2000 Index and the Standard & Poor's Small Cap 600, both
finished July with substantial losses: The Russell was off 3.6
percent, with the S&P Small Cap down 3.3 percent.
For the month, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the
Standard & Poor's 500 declined 2.2 percent in value, while the
Nasdaq Stock Market was off 0.62 percent.
On Friday, the Russell 2000 Index closed out the rough month by
shedding 0.29 percent, while the S&P Small Cap 600 was
essentially flat, finishing the day off 0.04 percent. By
comparison, the Dow was off 0.79 percent, the S&P 500 dropped
0.65 percent and the Nasdaq was down 0.36 percent.
Friday's Top Performing Small Cap Stocks (Data provided by
Google Finance)
Zoll Medical (Nasdaq: ZOLL)
: The maker of resuscitation devices said its fiscal third-quarter
revenue climbed 65 percent while its profit increased 22 percent.
Zoll also issued a rosy profit picture for the rest of the fiscal
year that ends in October amid strong international sales and
rising demand for its LifeVest.
Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP)
: Shares of the leading provider of postage online and shipping
software hit a 52-week high after it came in with a 26 percent
increase in second-quarter revenue and a 124 percent rise in
non-GAAP earnings. The stock is up 53 percent in the past year.
Maxwell Technologies (Nasdaq: MXWL)
: The maker of electronic devices used in power systems posted
better-than-expected second-quarter results, with revenue
increasing 30 percent on the strength of its ultracapacitor
business. It also shrunk its quarterly net loss to $1.2 million.
Computer Programs & Systems (Nasdaq: CPSI)
: The health-care technology company saw its revenue surge 30
percent as its net income climbed 85 percent in the second quarter.
CPSI shares have increased in value by 63 percent in the past year
and the company will again issue a 36-cents-per-share quarterly
dividend on Aug. 26.
Brightpoint (Nasdaq: CELL)
: The wireless services provider reported pumping out
second-quarter revenue of $1.23 billion, a 57 percent jump, while
adjusted earnings grew 44 percent to $0.23 a share, crushing
analysts' estimates.