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 dry-bulk shipper DryShips (Nasdaq: DRYS) surged 10% in early Friday trading on news that its Ocean Rig UDW subsidiary will raise about $500 million in a private stock offering to finance the building of new drillships.

So what: It's no secret that DryShips is infamous for value-hurting stock sales, so today's seemingly non-dilutive move is a welcome surprise to Mr. Market. For the $500 million, DryShips reduced its ownership in Ocean Rig by only about a fifth, maintaining a 70%-80% stake in the unit.

Now what: I'd be cautious about jumping into the stock at this point. With this double-digit rally, DryShips is now up roughly 40% over the past month alone. While today's capital raise, along with recently improving profits and margins, are certainly positives for DryShips, the likes of Navios Maritime (NYSE: NM) and Genco Shipping (NYSE: GNK) -- whose shares are both down 10% over the past month -- represent safer bets for my money.

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