Author: Mark DeFrance

Mark DeFrance is a senior research analyst at Tech Insider, focusing on the enterprise software sector. Prior to joining TI, Mark covered enterprise software for First Albany, and prior to that he worked in equity research at B.T. Alex Brown and Bankers Trust. Mark has written software applications in various programming languages including BASIC, Pascal, and COBOL. He has also been recognized in The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" survey and was recognized by Forbes Magazine as the No. 1 sell-side stock picker in the software industry for a five-year period, with returns of 115% versus 26% for the software industry.
Finance

Trending Stocks – Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), WGL Holdings (NYSE:WGL), Armco Metals Holdings (NYSE:AMCO), Fulton Financial Corp (NASDAQ:FULT)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) are among banks that pulled forward their predictions for the first Fed rate increase to the third quarter of 2015 from as late as 2016. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) stock performance was 0.84% in last session and finished the day at $164.80. Traded volume was 2.28million shares in the last session and the average … Continue reading Trending Stocks – Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), WGL Holdings (NYSE:WGL), Armco Metals Holdings (NYSE:AMCO), Fulton Financial Corp (NASDAQ:FULT)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Eye-Catching Stocks – American Shared Hospital Services (NYSEMKT:AMS) , Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:PTLA) , Mercury General Corporation (NYSE:MCY) , SemGroup Corp (NYSE:SEMG)

American Shared Hospital Services (NYSEMKT:AMS) Director Raymond C. Stachowiak bought 400,000 shares of American Shared Hospital Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $2.43 per share, with a total value of $972,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 30,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,743. American Shared … Continue reading Eye-Catching Stocks – American Shared Hospital Services (NYSEMKT:AMS) , Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:PTLA) , Mercury General Corporation (NYSE:MCY) , SemGroup Corp (NYSE:SEMG)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Top Gainers: Digital Ally (NASDAQ:DGLY), Everyware Global (NASDAQ:EVRY), AmREIT (NYSE:AMRE), Cray (NASDAQ:CRAY)

Digital Ally Inc. (NASDAQ:DGLY) announced that its pending application for patent (No. 8,781,292) received approval from the US Patent and Trademark Office, sending the company’s stock higher by more than 150%. Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ:DGLY) stock performance was 127.35% in last session and finished the day at $7.23. Traded volume was 6.28million shares in the last session and the average volume of the stock remained … Continue reading Top Gainers: Digital Ally (NASDAQ:DGLY), Everyware Global (NASDAQ:EVRY), AmREIT (NYSE:AMRE), Cray (NASDAQ:CRAY)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Top Gainers: Golden Minerals (NYSEMKT:AUMN), SinoCoking Coal and Coke Chem (NASDAQ:SCOK), CombiMatrix (NASDAQ:CBMX), Pixelworks (NASDAQ:PXLW)

Golden Minerals (NYSEMKT:AUMN) is reopening its Velardena silver–gold mine in Mexico’s Durango state in July as a leaner and lower-cost operation. The Golden, Colo.-head­quart­er­ed firm suspended the under­ground operation in Durango state in June 2013, mainly due to falling metal prices. Golden Minerals Co (NYSEMKT:AUMN) stock performance was 27.88% in last session and finished the day at $1.33. Traded volume was 1.08million shares in the … Continue reading Top Gainers: Golden Minerals (NYSEMKT:AUMN), SinoCoking Coal and Coke Chem (NASDAQ:SCOK), CombiMatrix (NASDAQ:CBMX), Pixelworks (NASDAQ:PXLW)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Trader’s Recap: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY), Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI), CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS)

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) CTO Michael Todd Schroepfer sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.06, for a total transaction of $1,301,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 191,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,455,802. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) stock performance … Continue reading Trader’s Recap: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY), Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI), CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Healthcare Insider Buying: Opko Health (NYSE:OPK), American Apparel (NYSEMKT:APP), Accelerate Diagnostics Inc (NASDAQ:AXDX), Biota Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:BOTA), Echo Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:ECTE)

Opko Health (NYSE:OPK) CEO Phillip Md Et Al Frost purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.58 per share, for a total transaction of $257,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,987,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,052,750. Opko Health Inc. … Continue reading Healthcare Insider Buying: Opko Health (NYSE:OPK), American Apparel (NYSEMKT:APP), Accelerate Diagnostics Inc (NASDAQ:AXDX), Biota Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:BOTA), Echo Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:ECTE)

Mark DeFrance