Thursday's Small-Cap Winners & Losers

Small stocks dragged under the weight of the larger selloff Thursday despite a fair amount of positive earnings news.

Video-systems maker Vicon Industries (VII) was among the winners, soaring 19% to $9.80 after the Hauppauge, N.Y., company swung to a fiscal second-quarter profit of $802,000, or 16 cents a share.

Virginia-based Versar (VSR), an infrastructure-program-management company, surged 26% to $6.60 after fiscal third-quarter earnings more than tripled from last year to 36 cents a share. Revenue more than doubled.

Elsewhere in earnings news, Inter Parfums (IPAR) added 13.4% to $27.09 in far-heavier-than-usual trading after the New York-based fragrance maker beat the first-quarter per-share earnings consensus of 23 cents by a nickel a share.

Air Methods (AIRM), of Colorado, jumped 15% to $32.88 after earning 30 cents a share in the first quarter, which trounced two analysts' 11-cent targets. And Sacramento, Calif., renewable-fuels maker Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) squared with bottom-line estimates, lifting shares by 9% to $15.09.

Away from earnings, Torch Energy Royalty Trust (TRU), based in Delaware, surged 26% to $8.02 after Trust Venture Co. launched an $8 per-unit tender offer for all of Torch's outstanding units.

Heavily on the downswing, however, was Tweeter Home Entertainment (TWTR). Shares tanked 69.6% to 41 cents in very heavy trading after the Canton, Mass., electronics retailer reported swinging to a wide loss for the quarter ended March 31 -- $35.2 million, or $1.38 a share -- and said it might have to file for bankruptcy due to its precarious financial situation.