SMTC, Jackson Hewitt: Early Volume Plays

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Several stocks trading near $5 were poised to move on above-average volume during Thursday's session.

SMTC Corp. (SMTC) was set to rally sharply higher after the electronics manufacturer posted a fourth-quarter profit of 16 cents a share, which doubled the single-analyst estimate. The 50-day average daily volume for SMTC is 130,000, according to the Nasdaq. Shares closed Wednesday at $1.65 before jumping 59.4% in the after-market session.

FuelCell Energy (FCEL) rose by 15 cents, or 5.1%, to $3.10 in the premarket session after the company said it was awarded a $2.1 million contract for fuel cells to be incorporated into Air Products' renewable hydrogen fueling station in California. The announcement came as FuelCell reported a first-quarter loss of 18 cents a share, which matched analysts' estimates. Revenue of $14.6 million in the quarter was down 32.7% from a year earlier and was worse than the $26.3 million consensus. The 50-day average daily volume for FuelCell is 1 million.

Datalink (DTLK) shares were poised to drop Thursday after the data storage company offered a first-quarter earnings guidance range of a loss of 2 cents a share to a profit of 2 cents a share. The midpoint of the range is below the two-analyst average forecast for a profit of 2 cents a share. The guidance came alongside Datalink's fourth-quarter earnings report. The company posted a profit of 10 cents a share, which doubled the two-analyst average target. The 50-day average daily volume for Datalink is 20,000. The stock closed Wednesday at $4.41 before shares fell 16.1% in the late trading session.

Jackson Hewitt (JTX) dropped by 18 cents, or 7.3%, to $2.30 in the premarket session after the tax preparation company posted a third-quarter profit of 46 cents a share, which was 2 cents below the Thomson Reuters average estimate. Revenue of $79.1 million was down 19% from a year ago and was below the $83.4 million consensus target. "For the full 2010 tax season, we believe our total tax returns prepared versus the 2009 tax season will be down in the range of 17% to 19%, with revenue per tax return growth anticipated to be 1% to 2% and net income in the area of breakeven, or modestly positive, ex-items vs. the $0.37 consensus," the company said in its release. The three-month average daily volume for Jackson Hewitt is 1.74 million, according to Yahoo! Finance.

-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston.

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