10 Stocks Shaking the Market

Some stocks are one-hit wonders that make a big splash when they first appear and then quickly fizzle into obscurity. But for other stocks, that initial big move is only a preview for even bigger and better gains to come.

Today, I've compiled 10 stocks that made some of the biggest upward moves over the past month. I'll then pair that list with the ratings issued by our Motley Fool CAPS community. The higher each stock's rating, the greater CAPS members' faith in that company's ability to keep on beating the market.

Even as the markets rediscover their winning ways, their gains haven't kept up with the pace that these movers and shakers have set. Pharmaceuticals and biotechs seem to rule the roost these days, with half of the companies on our list sitting in those sectors. So let's see why the CAPS community thinks a couple of these companies might outperform the market, with one oddball thrown in.

A mighty temblor
Actions have consequences. That much is certain in the aftermath of Sequenom's April revelation that certain employees had played fast and loose with R&D data and results. The ensuing wipeout sent the biotech's shares plunging by 75% overnight, but it created a longer-term problem of maintaining and building trust.

For example, CAPS member TheHague is giving no quarter to Sequenom, because it failed a basic tenet of business: square dealing. You know the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you …"? Well, TheHague's in no mood to be fooled twice.

The negative press from the poorly run testing procedures has to be taken seriously when one is talking about giving a company your $! I [cannot] believe in a company that needs to be strict with their procedures, [somehow] finds a way to mess it up! I don't care if their test proves okay! They will, based on their history, mess things up again. I for one will not take a chance on them. There are too many [biotech companies] that run flawless tests. Those need to be [rewarded, not companies] that screw things up!

Sequenom's management has indicated that it still believes in its SEQureDx genetic-screening test, but it's not going to release the test until two large independent clinical tests are completed -- and that might not be until the first half of 2010. If those tests confirm the accuracy of SEQureDx, Sequenom has a potential blockbuster on its hands -- but it will undoubtedly be too late to get into the stock by then. It is possible for a company to exercise too much caution.

Going, going ...
Unless a bidding war breaks out, as CAPS All-Star member Vavoom11 notes, it's probably too late for investors to realize much upside in Medarex, after Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) offered a 90% premium to buy the company. With its potential cancer-fighting wonder drug in ipilimumab, investors might be right to wonder why someone else might not want to make a bid. But at this point, a bid seems unlikely.

Not gone
And until a short time ago, it looked as though Gannett wouldn't be here for investors to kick around anymore. The newspaper publisher appeared to be on its last legs as fellow publishers McClatchy and Tribune themselves seemed to be worth little more than birdcage liner. So when Gannett turned in a surprisingly profitable quarter, its stock became front-page news again. But like faded newsprint, the industry is pretty much yesterday's news. I believe that the bane of the newspaper, the Internet, will continue to command the above-the-fold position and that Gannett's profits will eventually land in the recycle bin.

Investors, though, remain surprisingly bullish about Gannett. Nearly three-quarters of CAPS members rating the publisher of USA Today think it will outperform the market, and a surprising 82% of the All-Stars feel similarly inclined. The CAPS "Media" tag jumped by 11% over the past month as Gannett, New York Times, and even McClatchy reported profitable quarters.

Shake, rattle, and roll
With these stocks shaking the market over the past month, it pays to start your own research on them at Motley Fool CAPS. Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made -- all from a stock's CAPS page.