Big Five Two

The Inquirer today reports on the five-biggest gaining companies in the Philadelphia area since (I think) the last time the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high, which was Jan. 14, 2000. (Aww, remember back then? No, me neither.)

Anyway, congratulations to these three companies, who really stood out among the top 5:

• Urban Outfitters: “Shares of the Philadelphia clothing company were selling on the Nasdaq at just $1.81 on Jan. 14, 2000. From there, they climbed steadily to a high of $33.43 on Nov. 23, 2005… Shares have declined this year - they closed yesterday at $17.33 - as profits have slimmed because of discounting. A ’seismic shift in women’s fashion’ has made the company ‘cautious as the customers’ response to our product offerings remains inconsistent,’ chairman Richard A. Hayne said in May.”
• Orleans Homebuilders: “The first half of this decade was a great time to be a home builder - until this summer, that is. Shares of Orleans Homebuilders have soared 647 percent since the Dow’s last high, but on Sept. 22, they hit a 52-week low of $11 a share.”
• Neoware: “Shares have stumbled in recent weeks[.]“

Indeed! So congratulations to Penn National Gaming (of course) and Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. (whatever that is), the only two companies in this “top five” whose finances haven’t gone to shit.

The Phila. region’s 5 biggest-gaining companies [Inquirer]