Microcaps on Fire: The Low-Priced Stocks Breaking Out Today 💥💰

U.S. stocks finished higher on Friday, led by a rebound in artificial intelligence–related names as investor confidence showed signs of stabilizing after recent volatility.

The Nasdaq rose 0.8%, the S&P 500 gained 0.7%, and the Dow added 255 points, supported by strong moves in Oracle, Nvidia, and Micron.

Oracle jumped more than 7% following news tied to TikTok’s U.S. operations, while Micron surged on robust demand outlooks for memory chips.

Despite the rebound, semiconductor stocks remain below recent highs, and markets faced added volatility from a record “quadruple witching” options expiration.

On the downside, Nike shares fell sharply after reporting weaker China sales and margin pressure from tariffs.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Autozi Internet Technology (Global) Ltd (AZI) is up 78.32% today to trade at the current level of $2.71. This comes after the company announced that its strategic investor, CDIB, has confirmed an initial $90 million investment in Autozi at $3.50 per share.

ProPhase Labs Inc (PRPH) zoomed 19.22% in today’s trade to $0.12 after announcing a non-binding LOI for a reverse merger with Advanced Biological Laboratories, a deal that would make ABL the majority owner of the combined company.

In current trading, Cypherpunk Technologies Inc (CYPH) stock is at $1.12 after announcing that Josh Swihart, Chief Executive Officer of Electric Coin Company (ECC), has joined the company as a Strategic Advisor.

Controladora Vuela Cia De Aviacion ADR (VLRS) rose 16.71% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $9.71 after Barclays upgraded the airline to Overweight from Equal Weight and set a new $11 price target.

In the current trading session, Neuraxis Inc (NRXS) jumped 17.71% to $3.39 over a previous close of $2.88 after announcing new insurance coverage for Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation, reaching about 45 million members across multiple states.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Adamas Trust Inc (ADAM) 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 $0.23 per share. It has fixed December 22 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on January 28. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.83 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, ADAM has a trailing yield of 11.18% on the current stock price of $7.43.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends on Monday is Broadcom Inc (AVGO), having a market capitalization of $1596.26B. It will pay a dividend of $0.65 per share, the payment date of which is December 31. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 0.70%.

Shares of NewtekOne Inc (NEWT) 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 $0.19 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.76 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that NEWT has a trailing yield of 6.24% on the current share price of $12.17.

WhiteHorse Finance Inc (WHF) is also set to go ex-dividend on Monday. The next dividend payment from WHF will amount to $0.25 per share. December 22 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for January 05. In the previous year, WHF distributed a total of $1.53 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for WHF stands at 20.80% based on the current stock price of $7.36.

Gladstone Land Corp (LAND) will be paying out a dividend of $0.05 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of business hours on the record date of December 22. Over the past 12 months, LAND has paid out a total of $0.56 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, LAND boasts an impressive trailing yield of 6.35% on the current share price of $8.88.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Bybit plans to relaunch in the UK with a pared-down spot and P2P offering, returning after its 2023 exit following the FCA’s regulatory crackdown.

• Metaplanet will begin trading in the US through American Depositary Receipts, expanding access for US investors without issuing new capital.

• Coinbase has sued regulators in Connecticut, Illinois and Michigan, arguing that CFTC-regulated prediction markets should be governed by federal commodities law rather than state gambling regulations.

• Regulatory leadership signals: Incoming CFTC chair Mike Selig has pledged to prioritize crypto policy, while Travis Hill has criticized the practice of debanking crypto firms.

• Bitcoin mining scrutiny: The SEC claims certain hosted Bitcoin mining services may fall under US securities laws, though industry executives say most providers are unlikely to be affected.

Most Shorted Stocks

TripAdvisor Inc (TRIP) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 21.23% 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 7.0. This represents a change of -644112 shares, which corresponds to a -2.63% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $334.41 million. The average daily volume stands at 2.46M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $1.64B.

The Hyperion DeFi Inc with the symbol HYPD currently has a short interest of 23.20%. The short interest has changed by 111824 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 5.4. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $5.14 million. On an average day, 500.58K shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $25.11M.

For the stock Northern Oil and Gas Inc (NOG), the current short interest is at 21.28%. This represents a significant short interest change of 107930 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 0.54%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 9.6. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $448.13 million.

With the symbol BEAM, the stock currently has a short interest of 21.40%. The short interest change is 400462 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of 1.95%. It would take approximately 10.4 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $538.49 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 2.24M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $2.71B.

The stock QUBT has a current short interest of 24.89%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of 0.66% while there was a change of 295906 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 1.4. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $221.24 million. Trading activity averages at 37.65M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $2.37B.

Energy Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, MPLX LP (MPLX) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Energy industry, attaining an impressive score of 61. The stock's profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its growth is weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies DT Midstream Inc (DTM) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 66. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, growth, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, GE Vernova Inc (GEV) has the ST Score of 61, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, growth, and Piotroski Score. Financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecasts suggest a neutral outlook.

Transportadora de Gas del Sur ADR (TGS) stock has the ST Score of 61 which implies that the Energy company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. However, it shows neutral outlook in performance, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Western Midstream Partners LP (WES) currently has the ST Score of 63, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its growth. The stock's 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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