10 Micro and Small-Cap Firms Drive Year-to-Date Gains

4. Rapid Micro Biosystems Inc. (NASDAQ:RPID)

Shares of Rapid Micro rallied by 287 percent year-to-date to end Friday’s trading at $3.48 apiece versus the 90 cents registered on December 31.

The company—with a market capitalization of $149.76 million—booked its highest price of $3.57 on Thursday, marking a 297-percent increase from its price on December 31, after KeyBanc Capital Markets set a whopping price target of $8 and “overweight” rating for the company.

According to KeyBanc, its ratings were based on RPID’s Microbial Growth Direct System (GDS) as a significant advancement in biological manufacturing quality control.

Compared with traditional methods, GDS technology offers a more accurate and efficient alternative method for detecting bacterial contamination. It is capable of delivering results within three to five days compared with the five to 14 days from a manual Petri dish and microscope analysis.