Why Did My Stock Just Die?

Your stock just took a nosedive -- but don't panic. First, let's see whether it had good reason to fall. Sometimes, panic-fueled drops can make excellent buying opportunities. Here's the latest crop of cratered stocks that could provide a possibility for profit:

Although it may have felt like two steps forward, one step back at times, the market has risen more than 1% over the past week. Investors have ignored rising inflation and higher jobless claims, preferring instead to focus on an ebullient manufacturing report. Given Wall Street's general cheeriness, stocks that have fallen by larger percentages are even bigger deals.

The devil's in the details
The smart grid isn't quite proving itself dumb, but it's not exactly at the head of the class. Electricity demand response leader EnerNOC has been tripping over itself to win the dunce award, first by getting caught up in charges that it's double booking energy savings, then by the abrupt resignation of its COO -- unrelated, it says, to the accounting issue. It then reported wider quarterly losses as revenues fell and costs rose.

Demand-response aggregators like EnerNOC and Comverge (Nasdaq: COMV) assist consumers and businesses in remotely reducing their electrical consumption during peak demand periods. In return, utilities and grid operators pay them for reducing the overall demand on the grid.  Smart meter maker Itron (Nasdaq: ITRI) is perhaps one of the better-known companies helping residential consumers make more informed energy choices. But PJM, the largest grid operator, accused certain aggregators of "engaging in market manipulation." It didn't name any particular company, but EnerNOC accounts for 35% of PJM's demand response market.

CAPS member MajorBob04 was disappointed by EnerNOC's earnings, but All-Star TMFCandyMountain says it's a long-term play: "Stock getting beaten up, perhaps for good reason. This long pick is based on the belief, or dare I say hope, that there won't be permanent reputational damage with its customers."

Let us know on the EnerNOC CAPS page whether it will be able to power up again in the near future.

A coming meltdown
The unkindest cuts to MannKind just keep on coming. The FDA threw the biotech for a loop by issuing a second complete response letter that calls for MannKind to run more tests on Afrezza, its inhaled insulin drug. The FDA's initial letter didn't require any additional tests, but MannKind might have brought that step on itself by changing its manufacturing setup.

Investors shouldn't be surprised that MannKind laid off employees as a result. Perhaps it was the magnitude of the layoffs -- 40% of the total staff -- that sent the stock into a tailspin. Management also had to halt its human insulin supply agreement with Merck (NYSE: MRK), costing the biotech $22.7 million more in termination fees. Yowch!

CAPS member Charlie9665 thinks MannKind will have a hard time going up against the new realities of a more cautious FDA: "It's not working will with FDA, an the FDA is looking at new medications more closely and not granting approvals, but more trials."

Let us know in the comments section below or on the MannKind CAPS page how long you this stock can hang on before succumbing.

That sinking feeling
Admittedly, I've been infatuated with the potential of pico projector maker Microvision. While rumors have swirled that its technology will find its way into this Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) product or that, the company forged a more concrete deal with Pioneer to incorporate its PicoP laser technology into its transparent head-up displays found in cars and consumer products, and started working with videogame maker Capcom and chipmaker Intel to take gaming to the next level.

So when Macrovision said fourth-quarter losses would nearly double, prompting the company slash personnel, it was a surprise to say the least. That hardly sounds like the performance of a growing, innovative company. Like me, pchop123 believes Microvision still has a lot of potential, but MajorBob04 chimes in here to say it's simple math: "Greater loss exceeding market expectations = lower price."

Add Microvision to your watchlist to see whether it will be able to project any growth in the future.

Ready for a resurrection
Just because your stock has taken a beating doesn't mean it's going to roll over and die. Markets are known for overreacting. A closer look at what's happened to your stock can give you an edge over other investors who just react to the market's lead.

That's why it pays to start your own research on these stocks on Motley Fool CAPS where you can read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made, all from the stock's CAPS page. Then you can decide for yourself whether it's ready to come back from the dead.