Sequenom, Digital Ally: Midday Volume Plays

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Several stocks trading near $5 were moving on above-average volume during Tuesday's session.

WorldHeart (WHRT) rallied by 69 cents, or 34%, to $2.72 after the ventricular device maker said the University of Utah Hospital successfully implanted its first Levacor ventricular assist device (VAD), becoming the fourth Levacor implant since the inception of its study. Volume topped 954,000 shares, compared to the 50-day average daily volume of 15,000, according to the Nasdaq.

Sequenom (SQNM) jumped by 78 cents, or 14.1%, to $6.31 after the diagnostic testing and genetics analysis company's stock was upgraded by Lazard Capital Markets to buy from hold. The firm cited prospects for the company's Down syndrome test. Volume topped 14.91 million shares, compared to the 50-day average daily volume of 5.7 million.

Oncothyreon (ONTY) dropped by $1.27, or 26.6%, to $3.51 after the biopharmaceutical company's partner temporarily suspended all clinical trials of lead drug candidate Stimuvax, a cancer vaccine, because of potential safety issues. Volume topped 2.83 million shares, compared to the 50-day average daily volume of 147,000.

Digital Ally (DGLY) slumped by 28 cents, or 12.9%, to $1.89 after the digital video imaging company posted a fourth-quarter profit of 2 cents a share, which was below the single analyst estimate for a profit of 6 cents a share. Volume topped 522,000 shares, compared to the 50-day average daily volume of 45,000.

-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston.

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