Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of FuelCell Energy (FCEL 0.55%) popped 17% today after the fuel-cell power plant company received a $2.8 million continuation of an award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office.
So what: The stock has soared in 2014 on optimism over growing fuel cell adoption, and today's news only reinforces those good vibes. So while the $2.8 contract amount is a relatively tiny sum, FuelCell will be able to "showcase" the tri-generation capabilities of its Direct FuelCell power plant for industrial applications, prompting investors to pile in on the expectation of even bigger deals ahead.
Now what: Management expects the plant to be operational by the close of 2014. "In addition to offering ultra-clean electricity and usable high quality heat, this fuel cell installation will provide reliable on-site hydrogen production that has the potential to reduce costs associated with purchasing, transporting and storing hydrogen," said President and CEO Chip Bottone in a press release. "We estimate a potential market size of $1.6 billion for our tri-generation DFC-H2 fuel cell power plants serving the industrial and mobility markets in the United States alone." Of course, given FuelCell's still-speculative nature and fiery-hot share price -- up about 150% in just the past month alone -- I'd wait for a much wider margin of safety before buying into that potential.
