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.
Analysis, Diversified Tech, Earnings

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) Surges After Hours; Hill International (NYSE:HIL), Atlas Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFH), Summit Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:SMLP), American Eagle Energy (NYSEMKT:AMZG)

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) is surging in after-hours trading after activist hedge fund Elliott Associates disclosed a stake in the casino operator. In a filing with the SEC, Elliott disclosed it owns 4.99% of Boyd’s outstanding common stock, with a 2.05% exposure to common shares via derivatives. Elliott said its combined economic exposure to Boyd (NYSE:BYD) is 7%, with its voting power in the company coming … Continue reading Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) Surges After Hours; Hill International (NYSE:HIL), Atlas Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFH), Summit Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:SMLP), American Eagle Energy (NYSEMKT:AMZG)

Mark DeFrance
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Finance

Basic Materials Bullish Stocks: Gulf Resources (NASDAQ:GURE), PostRock Energy (NASDAQ:PSTR), Compressco (NASDAQ:GSJK), CGG (NYSE:CGG)

Gulf Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:GURE) produces and deals bromine and raw sodium, and produces and offers chemicals used in oil and gas field discovery. Gulf Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:GURE) stock performance was 5.77% in last session and finished the day at $2.75. Traded volume was 267,999.00million shares in the last session and the average volume of the stock remained 249.59K shares. The beta of the stock remained … Continue reading Basic Materials Bullish Stocks: Gulf Resources (NASDAQ:GURE), PostRock Energy (NASDAQ:PSTR), Compressco (NASDAQ:GSJK), CGG (NYSE:CGG)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Healthcare Bearish Stocks: AcelRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACRX), BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX), Baxano Surgical (NASDAQ:BAXS), Flamel Technologies (NASDAQ:FLML)

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, today announced that Richard King, President and CEO will present a Company update. AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ACRX) stock performance was -8.38% in last session and finished the day at $11.92. Traded volume was 1.46million shares in the last session and … Continue reading Healthcare Bearish Stocks: AcelRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACRX), BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX), Baxano Surgical (NASDAQ:BAXS), Flamel Technologies (NASDAQ:FLML)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Active Stocks at NYSE: Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD), Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE:ANR), Vale) (NYSE:VALE), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 25,372 call options on the company, American Banking News.com reports. This is an increase of approximately 281% compared to the average daily volume of 6,651 call options. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) stock performance was 5.90% in last session and finished the day at $3.95. Traded volume was … Continue reading Active Stocks at NYSE: Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD), Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE:ANR), Vale) (NYSE:VALE), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Active Runners: Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)

U2 are pushing back the release of their 13th album to 2015 despite a new single and many high-profile media appearances, music industry journal Billboard said Friday. The group also rolled out their latest single “Invisible” during American football’s Super Bowl, in a tie-in with Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) to raise funds for the AIDS charity Red. Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) stock performance … Continue reading Active Runners: Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)

Mark DeFrance
Finance

Bullish Stocks at NYSE: Penn West Petroleum (NYSE:PWE), RadioShack (NYSE:RSH), HDFC Bank (NYSE:HDB), Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY)

Penn West Petroleum Ltd. (USA) (NYSE:PWE), still carrying a heavy pile of debt, posted a substantial loss in the most recent quarter, although it was able to bring down costs as it restructures its operations. Penn West Petroleum Ltd (USA) (NYSE:PWE) stock performance was 7.32% in last session and finished the day at $8.50. Traded volume was 4,938,350 million shares in the last session and … Continue reading Bullish Stocks at NYSE: Penn West Petroleum (NYSE:PWE), RadioShack (NYSE:RSH), HDFC Bank (NYSE:HDB), Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY)

Mark DeFrance