Four small-cap leaders poised to surge

Article Excerpt

Small caps are companies with a “market cap”(the value of shares they have outstanding) below $2 billion, or some other arbitrary figure. Small-cap stocks are generally more volatile than large-cap stocks. Temporary setbacks, such as a poor quarterly earnings report or the loss of a contract, can quickly cut their share prices. To cut your risk, you should focus on small caps that are market leaders, such as these four industrial companies. They’re also attractive in relation to earnings, and provide above-average dividend yields. GENUINE PARTS CO. $38 (New York symbol GPC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 159.6 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 4.2%; WSSF Rating: Average) distributes automotive replacement parts to over 4,800 independent stores in North America. It also owns and operates over 1,100 auto-parts stores under the NAPA banner. Genuine Parts has built up its other businesses to cut its exposure to the cyclical automotive industry. It now gets half of…