Nasdaq 2009 Winners & Losers

To say that 2009 was a tumultuous year for stocks is clearly an understatement. Some, though, fared better than others. Here's a brief rundown of the year's best and worst performing stocks listed on the Nasdaq.

Winners

Diedrich Coffee -- up 9,597.22%

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It's nice to be wanted, and for much of the fourth quarter, two of coffee's biggest names - Green Mountain (GMCR) and Peet's (PEET) -- lusted for Diedrich Coffee's (DDRX) goods. Diedrich, a $68 million southern California bean roaster and wholesaler, sells its blends at coffee houses around the country. But the huge growth has come from its K-cup business, or the Diedrich-branded coffee packs used with single-cup brewing systems.

With the K-cup industry growing more than 70% over the past few years, Peet's tried to make entry by offering to buy Diedrich for $213 million. But in early December, Green Mountain, which owns the licensing rights for K-cups, countered and eventually won. Green Mountain is currently in the process of buying Diedrich for $290 million.

Select Comfort -- Up 2,512%

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Shares of Select Comfort (SCSS), the Plymouth, Minn., maker of specialty beds, have greatly rebounded thanks to a number of fund-raising deals the company has struck to pad itself against bleeding sales. After admitting he misjudged consumers' willingness to pay thousands of dollars for high-tech mattresses during the worst recession in recent history, CEO Bill McLaughlin is making amends.

In June, the company tapped a private equity firm for $35 million, which it used to get rid of its outstanding debt. More recently, Select boosted its working capital by raising $16.4 million via a public offering of 3.8 million shares of common stock, which helped spike its stock to about $6.50 a share.