5 Top Weekly NASDAQ Tech Stocks: AgroFresh Soars Over 38 Percent

The NASDAQ Composite Index (INDEXNASDAQ:IXIC) opened at 8,096.96 points on Monday (September 9) and had closed at 8,187.17 points as of 12:27 p.m. EDT on Friday (September 13), edging closer to its all-time high of 8,330.21.

Over the week, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) released the latest version of its smartphone, the iPhone 11. The company tipped past the US$1 trillion mark on the day of the announcement, with shares reaching US$223.59. On Tuesday (September 10), it announced that its streaming service, Apple TV Plus, will be available on November 1.

As markets took an upturn, California passed a law requiring gig-economy companies such as Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) and Uber (NYSE:UBER) to pay their drivers as employees, rather than contractors. The formative law will enforce minimum wage and compensation standards, in addition to employment taxes for corporations. On Tuesday, Uber slashed over 400 jobs.

Similarly, gig-economy unicorn WeWork continued to face criticism as it leads up to its initial public offering (IPO). On Monday, SoftBank (OTC Pink:SFTBY,TSE:9984), which has invested US$10 billion into the shared office space company, strongly recommended that the company delay its IPO. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company plans to list on the NASDAQ.

Looking back at the week, in the small- and mid-cap spaces, the five top gainers were as follows:

• AgroFresh Solutions (NASDAQ:AGFS)
• Comscore (NASDAQ:SCOR)
• RealNetworks (NASDAQ:RNWK)
• Pareteum (NASDAQ:TEUM)
• USA Technologies (NASDAQ:USAT)

AgroFresh Solutions

Sustainable agricultural firm AgroFresh Solutions offers a portfolio of technologies designed for extending the shelf life of produce. For example, through employing storage insights and predictive screening, AgroFresh can identify fruits that are prone to a disorder. AgroFresh services over 25,000 storage rooms globally in addition to owning 800 patents in agriculture technology.

While AgroFresh had no news over the last week, it reported a 41 percent increase in its adjusted EBITDA figures, announcing US$1.4 million in the second quarter of 2019. While sales increased 15 percent year-over-year to US$21.2 million, net loss figures increased to US$22.3 million. The company attributed sales growth to seasonal strength in the southern hemisphere over the quarter.

Over the week, shares of AgroFresh Solutions climbed to US$2.26, a 38.04 percent increase, as of 12:33 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Comscore

Media analytics company Comscore serves digital and TV media platforms to gain deeper insights into audience data and consumer behaviour. Through harnessing partnerships with Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE), Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and others, Comscore provides measurement reporting services to clients.

With no major news announcements since Monday, Comscore’s most recent news was its second quarter earnings in August. Over the quarter, Comscore reported US$96.9 million in revenues, which dropped by over 4 percent year-over-year, while adjusted EBITDA figures slanted into negative territory at US$3.2 million.

Comscore’s shares reached US$2.68, a 19.21 percent hike, as of 12:36  p.m. EDT on Friday.

RealNetworks

RealNetworks is a security firm focused on facial recognition. Generated by artificial intelligence, the company states that its facial recognition technology has 99.87 percent accuracy in real time. These facial recognition services can be utilized for security purposes across a wide range of conditions.

The most recent news for RealNetworks was also in August with the release of its second quarter financials. Over the year, RealNetworks reported accelerated revenue growth, more than doubling to US$44.2 million. In a further sign of growth, adjusted EBITDA figures improved to US$6.3 million over the year, compared to US$7.9 million in the first quarter.

Shares of RealNetworks reached US$1.70, a 16.44 percent hike, as of 12:07 p.m. EDT on Friday.

Pareteum Corporation

Cloud communications platform Pareteum Corporation has witnessed gains of over 15 percent this week. The company delivers IoT services designed for mobile and offers location insights, proximity data and multi-channel mobile engagement platforms.

Just last week, Pareteum announced that premium spirits company Beam Suntory has extended its partnership for the Pareteum Experience Cloud platform. “Extending our deployment of Pareteum Experience Cloud promotes global join-up across our business, and helps ensure we stay connected to vital data, applications, and our customers,” said Beam Suntory’s chief investment officer, Allison Radecki, in a press release. The cloud platform includes mobility analytics and consumer loyalty features.

Shares of Pareteum Corporation reached US$2.24, a 15.54 percent increase, as of 12:38 p.m. EDT on Friday.

USA Technologies

The final company on our list is fintech company USA Technologies. Specializing in cashless transactions through its ePort Connect platform, USA Technologies offers a suite of mobile, debit and credit payment options across its 87 patented technologies. In addition, it integrates a consumer reward program designed to increase loyalty and engagement.

On Monday, USA Technologies was granted a listings extension from the NASDAQ exchange. To remain compliant, USA Technologies announced that it would file the appropriate financial statements by September 23 to prevent a suspension from being listed on the exchange.

USA Technologies’ shares reached US$8.18, an 11.78 percent increase, as of 12:41 p.m. EDT on Friday.

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Data for the 5 Top NASDAQ Tech Stocks articles is retrieved each Friday at 12:00 p.m. EDT using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies with a market capitalization of less than US$500 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the technology sector are considered.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dorothy Neufeld, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.