💰 5 Cheap Stocks Surging Today — Are You In Yet?

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US stocks posted modest gains on Friday as investors digested a fresh wave of earnings, building on a strong rally that recently pushed major indexes to record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 rose about 0.3% and 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.6%, capping Wall Street’s best month since 2020.

Earnings season has remained resilient, with Moderna shares climbing 3% after stronger-than-expected overseas COVID-19 vaccine sales. Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil and Chevron exceeded profit expectations but missed on revenue due to Middle East production constraints and shipping disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz.

Rising geopolitical tensions, after President Trump reaffirmed a US naval blockade on Iran, also supported gold and oil prices. Despite some volatility, major US indexes have rebounded sharply and now sit well above their levels at the start of 2026.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Esperion Therapeutics Inc (ESPR) is up 56.00% today to trade at the current level of $3.12 after announcing a $1.1B acquisition deal with ARCHIMED, driven by milestone-based growth expectations.

Sobr Safe Inc (SOBR) zoomed 114.30% in today’s trade to $1.17 after announcing a business combination with Clean World Ventures, Inc., signaling expansion into AI-driven, zero-carbon manufacturing.

In current trading, Ten League International Holdings Ltd (TLIH) stock is at $3.83 after announcing its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

Cerus Corp (CERS) rose 40.15% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $2.85 after reporting first quarter 2026 total revenue of $59.9 million, up 23% over the prior year.

In the current trading session, Rimini Street Inc (RMNI) jumped 19.06% to $4.06 over a previous close of $3.41 after announcing results for the fiscal first quarter ended March 31, 2026.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

East West Bancorp Inc (EWBC) is about to trade ex-dividend Monday, meaning that investors who buy the stock after Monday will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.8 per share. It has fixed May 04 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on May 18. Last year, the company distributed a total of $2.60 to its shareholders. Based on last year's worth of payments, EWBC has a trailing yield of 2.06% on the current stock price of $126.47.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends on Monday is Five Star Bancorp (FSBC), having a market capitalization of $864.67M. It will pay a dividend of $0.25 per share, the payment date of which is May 11. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 2.10%.

Shares of Hanmi Financial Corp (HAFC) will be the talk of the stock market on Monday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.28 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $1.09 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that HAFC has a trailing yield of 3.64% on the current share price of $29.91.

Home Bancorp Inc (HBCP) is also set to go ex-dividend on Monday. The next dividend payment from HBCP will amount to $0.31 per share. May 04 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for May 15. In the previous year, HBCP distributed a total of $1.18 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for HBCP stands at 1.90% based on the current stock price of $62.19.

Townebank Portsmouth VA (TOWN) will be paying out a dividend of $0.7 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of business hours on the record date of May 04. Over the past 12 months, TOWN has paid out a total of $1.08 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, TOWN boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.04% on the current share price of $35.56.

Crypto Market Highlights

• The United States Senate unanimously approved a rule banning members and staff from using prediction markets, with the change taking effect immediately.

• Crypto wallet startup Oobit launched a Visa-supported virtual card enabling AI agents to make autonomous online purchases in USDT for businesses.

• Solana is establishing a Swiss-based research body to help financial institutions navigate evolving crypto regulations amid rising competition with permissioned networks.

• The Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom approved new rules for tokenized funds, making it easier for asset managers to integrate blockchain into existing fund structures.

• Crypto exchange OKX introduced an open payments protocol for AI agents, advancing efforts to enable autonomous transactions with minimal human involvement.

Most Shorted Stocks

Sensei Biotherapeutics Inc (SNSE) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 83.09% short interest. The days to cover ratio, a measure of how long it would take for all the short positions to be covered based on average trading volume, is 19.3. This represents a change of -7719 shares, which corresponds to a -0.89% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $22.78 million. The average daily volume stands at 296.82K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $35.70M.

The Sky Quarry Inc with the symbol SKYQ currently has a short interest of 68.19%. The short interest has changed by 2232188 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 0.1. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $14.14 million. On an average day, 7.26M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $22.36M.

For the stock KalVista Pharmaceuticals Inc (KALV), the current short interest is at 40.08%. This represents a significant short interest change of -714135 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -3.51%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 20.7. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $523.75 million.

With the symbol SOUN, the stock currently has a short interest of 38.18%. The short interest change is 5881703 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of 4.18%. It would take approximately 7.5 days to cover all the short positions. The shares' short value is estimated to be around $156.38 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 26.57M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $3.39B.

The stock JACK has a current short interest of 34.29%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of 2.68%, while there was a change of 168151 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 7.7. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $1.85 billion. Trading activity averages at 810.93K shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $239.85M.

Energy Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, International Seaways Inc (INSW) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Energy industry, attaining an impressive score of 71. The stock's profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Sandridge Energy Inc (SD) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 65. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The growth, stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Nextpower Inc (NXT) has the ST Score of 64, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. Growth, stock sentiment, and forecasts suggest a neutral outlook.

Scorpio Tankers Inc (STNG) stock has the ST Score of 64, which implies that the Energy company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. However, it shows a neutral outlook in growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Teekay Tankers Ltd (TNK) currently has the ST Score of 64, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The stock's growth, stock sentiment, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading. Good luck out there!

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team

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