Small Stocks, Big Moves 🚀 5 Names Traders Can’t Ignore Today

U.S. stocks edged lower Thursday as investors stepped back from record highs to digest fresh labor market data and renewed geopolitical and policy uncertainty. 

The Nasdaq slipped, the S&P 500 hovered near flat, and the Dow eked out gains, while defense stocks rebounded after President Trump floated a sharp increase in military spending. 

Labor indicators pointed to a stabilizing job market ahead of Friday’s key jobs report, keeping markets cautious. Meanwhile, tensions around U.S. policy on Venezuela, oil strategy, and a potential Supreme Court ruling on Trump-era tariffs added to investor unease.

Top Movers: Under $10 

China SXT Pharmaceuticals Inc (SXTC) is up 105.35% today to trade at the current level of $4.16. This comes after the company announced the launch of a Strategic Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insights Initiative.

Aclarion Inc (ACON) zoomed 40.17% in today’s trade to $8.06 after providing a 2025 update and a 2026 corporate outlook.

In current trading, Century Therapeutics Inc (IPSC) stock is at $1.83 after announcing that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement for a private placement for initial gross proceeds of approximately $135 million to the Company, before placement agent fees and offering expenses.

Neogen Corp (NEOG) rose 31.33% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $9.69 after announcing second-quarter 2026 results.

In the current trading session, HUYA Inc ADR (HUYA) jumped 23.11% to $3.83 over a previous close of $3.11 after announcing the strong initial market performance of Goose Goose Duck mobile, co-published by Huya and Kingsoft Shiyou, following its open beta launch in the Chinese mainland on January 7, 2026.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

U.S. Global Investors, Inc (GROW) 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 $0.01 per share. It has fixed March 16 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on March 30. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.10 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, GROW has a trailing yield of 3.85% on the current stock price of $2.49.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends Monday is Shoe Carnival, Inc (SCVL), having a market capitalization of $502.06M. It will pay a dividend of $0.15 per share, the payment date of which is January 26. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 3.19%.

Shares of Calavo Growers, Inc (CVGW) will be the talk of the stock market on Tuesday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.2 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.80 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that CVGW has a trailing yield of 3.68% on the current share price of $21.71.

Bank OZK (OZK) is also set to go ex-dividend Tuesday. The next dividend payment from OZK will amount to $0.46 per share. January 13 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for January 20. In the previous year, OZK distributed a total of $1.74 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for OZK stands at 3.66% based on the current stock price of $47.6.

Comcast Corp (CMCSA) will be paying out a dividend of $0.33 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of business hours on the record date of January 14. Over the past 12 months, CMCSA has paid out a total of $0.93 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, CMCSA boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.33% on the current share price of $27.85.

Crypto Market Highlights

• A Polymarket account that profited from bets on Nicholas Maduro’s capture and removal as president has become inaccessible, intensifying concerns about potential insider trading on prediction markets.

• Zcash-supporting nonprofit Bootstrap said a recent governance dispute and the exit of key board members were driven by legal constraints nonprofits face when pursuing external investment.

• Binance introduced new gold- and silver-linked perpetual futures, broadening its derivatives lineup beyond cryptocurrencies to meet rising demand for traditional safe-haven exposure.

• BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest known corporate holder of ether, resumed buying ETH in the new year with $105 million in purchases, signaling continued confidence in Ethereum despite expectations of short-term price weakness.

• Indian financial authorities reiterated warnings about cryptocurrency transactions, cautioning that they could complicate tax enforcement efforts.

Most Shorted Stocks

Jack In The Box, Inc (JACK) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 26.46% 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 7.1. This represents a change of -108068 shares, which corresponds to a -2.15% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $104.66 million. The average daily volume stands at 1.04M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $401.08M.

The Medical Properties Trust Inc with the symbol MPW currently has a short interest of 26.20%. The short interest has changed by 2799802 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 23.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $832.35 million. On an average day, 7.12M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $3.22B.

For the stock Abeona Therapeutics Inc (ABEO), the current short interest is at 27.31%. This represents a significant short interest change of 185987 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 1.35%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 10.2. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $71.95 million.

With the symbol AVXL, the stock currently has a short interest of 28.98%. The short interest change is -2097002 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -8.34%. It would take approximately 9.1 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $56.97 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 2.65M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $364.10M.

The stock PLAY has a current short interest of 26.33%. The short interest percentage has experienced decrease of -12.53% while there was a change of -1280959 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 4.7. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $391.04 million. Trading activity averages at 1.44M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $588.52M.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

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

Our ST Score also classifies Krystal Biotech Inc (KRYS) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 62. 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, Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc (XERS) has the ST Score of 59, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, growth, and the Piotroski Score. Performance, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Protagonist Therapeutics Inc (PTGX) stock has the ST Score of 59, which implies that the Biotech 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.

Incyte Corp (INCY) currently has the ST Score of 61, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, growth, and Piotroski Score. The stock's financial strength, 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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