Blockbuster, Hauppauge Digital: Early Volume Plays

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Blockbuster (BBI) was among several stocks trading below $5 poised to move on above-average volume Friday after the embattled video rental chain.

Blockbuster reported a first-quarter loss of 33 cents a share on revenue of $939.4 million, compared to the Thomson Reuters average estimate for a loss of 14 cents a share on revenue of $933.3 million. Excluding severance payments, costs for closing stores and other one-time expenses, Blockbuster matched the average analyst projection with a loss of 14 cents a share in the quarter.

"We expect the next 12 to 18 months will remain challenging," Blockbuster CFO Tom Casey said in a statement.

Shares of Blockbuster, which rallied 15% Thursday, were down 22.1% to 39 cents in Friday's premarket session. The three-month average daily volume for Blockbuster is 10.85 million, according to Yahoo! Finance.

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On the other hand, BioSphere Medical (BSMD) jumped by $1.30, or 43.3%, to $4.30 in the premarket session after Merit Medical (MMSI) said it will acquire the company for $4.38 per share in a $96 million cash deal. The 50-day average daily volume for BioSphere is 28,000, according to the Nasdaq.

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Hauppauge Digital (HAUP) were set to build on Thursday's 197.1% surge after the company said its WinTV-HVR TV tuner boards for PCs can now stream live TV over the Internet to the Apple (AAPL) iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Shares of Hauppauge were up 27.7% to $3.87 in Friday's premarket session. The 50-day average daily volume for Hauppauge is 90,000.

TOP Ships (TOPS) jumped by 10 cents, or 8.3%, to $1.30 in the premarket session even after the company reported a profit of 3 cents a share on revenue of $23.1 million, which was well below the Thomson Reuters average estimate for a profit of 14 cents a share on revenue of $25 million. The 50-day average daily volume for TOP Ships is 62,000.

-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston.

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