Versar, Opexa Therapeutics: Midday Volume Plays

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

Versar (VSR) rallied by 74 cents, or 27%, to $3.48 after the company landed two contracts. Versar said it was awarded a five-year, $7.6 million contract to review and evaluate pesticide product and residue chemistry data by the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Health Effects Division (HED), of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition, the U.S. Army awarded Versar with a $29.5 million contract to provide surface and limited subsurface clearance services to safely locate, identify, mark and dispose of military munitions and explosives that exist at Fort Irwin. Volume topped 582,000 shares, compared to the three-month average daily volume of 14,700, according to Yahoo! Finance.

LGL Group (LGL) jumped by $1.76, or 43.5%, to $5.81 after the electronic components manufacturer posted a fourth-quarter profit of 15 cents a share, swinging from a year-ago loss of 5 cents a share. Volume topped 99,900 shares, compared to the three-month average daily volume of 3,200.

Opexa Therapeutics (OPXA) gained 40 cents, or 20.7%, to $2.33 after the Rodman & Renshaw analyst initiated coverage of the stock with a market outperform rating and price target of $6. Volume topped 2.34 million shares, compared to the 50-day average daily volume of 200,000, according to the Nasdaq.

Food Technology Service (VIFL) surged by $1.64, or 82%, to $3.64 after the company posted a full-year profit of 20 cents on revenue of $2.51 million, compared with earnings of 18 cents a share on revenue of $2.50 million in 2008. Volume topped 728,000 shares, compared to the 50-day average daily volume of 8,800.

-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston.

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