5 Stocks Choking in October

4 Recommendations

Reggie Jackson was known as Mr. October for his baseball triumphs in the postseason. That distinction sets him apart from some other ball players who are otherwise solid performers but tend to struggle after the regular season shuts down -- just ask William Buckner or Alex Rodriguez. And it got me to wondering -- with the baseball postseason once more upon us -- which stocks have been struggling as of late, after some impressive performances in the past.

With that in mind, let's look at a table of five stocks that earned the highest possible rating of five stars in our Motley Fool CAPS community as recently as 30 days ago but have since suffered a dramatic price drop.

The Victims

Stock

One-Month Change

Current CAPS Rating

Celadon Group (Nasdaq: CLDN)

(27%)

***

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant (Nasdaq: MSSR)

(25%)

**

MFRI (Nasdaq: MFRI)

(21%)

****

Arris Group (Nasdaq: ARRS)

(14%)

****

What happened?
McCormick & Schmick's, citing economic pressures on its consumer base, took a dive when it cut its third-quarter outlook. Similarly, MFRI, which makes piping, air filters, and cooling systems, suffered a swift beating last month, when it announced that its second-quarter profits plunged by 37%.

The drops at Celadon Group and Arris Group were less abrupt. Owners of Celadon shares have apparently been spooked by the prospects that the freight environment could drop off over the next few quarters. Arris, meanwhile, was punished for its purchase of communications technology company C-Cor (Nasdaq: CCBL). Wall Street is worried that C-Cor's margins will suffer in the short term as a result of the acquisition.

Can any of these stocks stage a late-inning rally to bring their shareholders back to stardom? The CAPS community wants to hear your take on the matter. So come and join thousands of other Fools and give us your input on which of these stocks can make a comeback and which are headed for the bench.

What do the unfolding financial crisis and ongoing market volatility mean for your money? The Fool's here with answers. Get the best of our daily commentary and analysis in your inbox simply by entering your email address in the box below.

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Related Tickers

Arris Group, Inc.

ARRS Up! $5.62 +0.17 (+3.12%) 4:00 PM
CAPS Rating:
433 Outperforms
20 Underperforms
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