These were the best performing Carolinas-based stocks included in the Capital Investment Cos./Nottingham Index of public companies for the week ended March 31. Shares trading for less than $10 aren’t included.
PRA Health Sciences (PRAH) 10.5% – Raleigh-based clinical-trials company reaches record high and has gained 53% in the last year.
Enpro Industries (NPO) 8.8% – Charlotte-based industrial products maker is trading at 52-week high and has gained 21% in the last year.
Premier (PINC) 5.9% – Bank of America analysts raised their rating of the Charlotte-based health-information and purchasing company to “buy” from “underperform.” Earnings beat forecasts by a penny per share in the most recent quarter.
The weakest performers:
Sealed Air (SEE) (-4.8%) – Charlotte-based Bubble Wrap maker sold its Diversey unit for net proceeds of $2.5 billion, disappointing investors who had expected $3 billion to $4 billion. Analysts generally have reduced earning estimates in the last two months, Zachs Ratings says.
Nucor (NUE) (-1.9%)– The largest U.S. steel producer has gained 27% in the last year.
Scana (SCG) – (-1.7%)– South Carolina’s largest utility faces losses related to the bankruptcy of Westinghouse Electric, which is building a nuclear plant for Scana and partner Santee Cooper in Jenkinsville, 30 miles northwest of Columbia. Scana said abandoning the project is a possibility.
