Friday, July 9, 2010

Most Volatile Stocks on Earnings (FSLR; FSYS; ISRG)

I included ISRG because my friend and senior partner (deceased last year, I miss him) bought the darn thing at $5.00 and against my pleading to let some go, held it to $130 where it reversed and he got shaken out of half the position. It closed at $321.25 today.

Be careful if long FSLR. For at least the last three quarters the stock has run up in anticipation of the numbers, the company beats expectations and the stock sells off.
From Bespoke Investment Group:
With earnings season starting on Monday, below we have updated our list of the most volatile stocks on earnings.  For each stock, we highlight its average one-day absolute change on earnings report days going back to 2001.  Only stocks with at least 8 quarterly earnings reports are included.  As shown, Fuel Systems (FSYS) has historically been the most volatile stock in the Russell 3,000 on its earnings report days.  Historically it has averaged a one-day change of +/- 23.44% in reaction to earnings.  Sequenom (SQNM) ranks 2nd with an average change of +/-18.11%, and First Solar (FSLR) ranks third at +/-16.95%.  For traders looking for action this upcoming earnings season, the stocks below should give you plenty.