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 retail and hospitality management expert Radiant Systems (Nasdaq: RADS) are treating their owners right today, jumping as much as 12.6% on about four times the average trading volume.

So what: While Radiant's first-quarter sales merely met analyst expectations, expanding margins brought a bottom-line beat with $0.23 of non-GAAP earnings per share versus the Street's expectations of $0.20. Strong business momentum and increased visibility inspired management to raise full-year guidance across the board.

Now what: The company, which competes with MICROS Systems (Nasdaq: MCRS) and VeriFone Systems (NYSE: PAY), still has more work to do in the cost-control department as its operating margins remain weak next to the competition.

The upside of that is the potential for margin leverage as management raises the roof. On the downside, Radiant is currently more focused on chasing growth opportunities than putting tighter spending policies in place, and may even go shopping for inorganic growth options. Then again, we're talking about a five-star CAPS entity (out of five) whose management has earned the respect of 96% of our CAPS players with an opinion on the stock.

I'd give Radiant the benefit of the doubt here -- the stock deserved to jump today.

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