The NASDAQ stocks which fit this bill are as follows: Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CADX); Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND); Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA); Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NASDAQ: OMEX); Pacer International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PACR); MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD); Wave Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: WAVX); Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER); NutriSystem Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRI); and Zix Corporation (NASDAQ: ZIXI). 

The NYSE stocks which fit this bill, except for one, are as follows: Mindray Medical International (NYSE: MR); Sealy Corporation (NYSE: ZZ); Rogers Communication, Inc. (NYSE: RCI); The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI); HHGregg, Inc. (NYSE: HGG); American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM); Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI); and Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM). 

We only looked at companies with an average volume of more than 250,000 shares and have added some loose color on these if applicable.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is up 2% premarket to $234.05, relative to a 52-week range of $151.40 – $244.00.

Brigham Exploration Company (NASDAQ: BEXP) is up 5.5% premarket to $27.75, relative to a 52-week range of $17.54 – $37.87.

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is up 6.5% premarket to $2.30, relative to a 52-week range of $2.00 – $10.24.

Odyssey Marine Explorers, Inc. (NASDAQ: OMEX) is up 8.5% premarket to $3.10, relative to a 52-week range of $1.68 – $4.43. The exploration company discovered a wreck containing several hundred tons of silver.

Today it is in the news after having confirmed the identity and site location of the shipwreck of the SS Gairsoppa, which was a 412-foot steel-hulled British cargo ship that was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in February 1941.  This ship was loaded full of millions of ounces of silver.

It was just at the end of March that Odyssey Marine Exploration was named as one of the 24/7 Wall St. most unusual public companies in America.

Unlike controversial shipwreck ownership, Odyssey was awarded the contract under a competitive tender process back in 2010 for an exclusive salvage pact with the U.K. (for the cargo) of the Gairsoppa.  Odyssey to retain 80% of the net salved value of the silver bullion recovered under the contract.

The release noted that research and official documents indicate that the ship was carrying approximately 7 million total ounces of silver, which included more than 3 million ounces of private silver bullion insured by the UK government which would make it the largest known precious metal cargo ever recovered from the sea.

This will be no easy task and it isn’t exactly like a scuba team can just hoist the silver up.  The wreckage is said to be nearly 4,700 meters below the surface of the North Atlantic.  It is also about 300 miles off the coast of Ireland in international waters.

Remotely Operated Vehicle operations allowed for video and photographs of the shipwreck and now the company is in the planning phase for how to recover the silver.  The current time line given by the company is that it anticipates operations will begin in the spring as soon as the weather window begins to open up in the North Atlantic.

iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV) is how more and more investors track silver these days.  Odyssey is probably not as thrilled that the $40.00 reading on September 13 has fallen to just under $30 in less than two-weeks.  Still, money is money and this could lead to a substantial boost for Odyssey Marine if it can recover the bulk of that bullion.

Odyssey Marine shares are up 9% at $2.90 on about 2.7 milllion shares.  The average volume is almost 1.1 million shares and the 52-week range is $1.68 to $4.43.  Its market cap is also $210 million.

JON C. OGG

CKX is far from a normal public company and it was one of several highly unique public companies we have recently featured and most of these could even be classified as cult stocks.  Pinpointing a real value in CKX comes down to “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  The company owns the rights to the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali, the operations of Graceland, and proprietary rights to the IDOLS and So You Think You Can Dance television brands.  Robert F.X. Sillerman resigned as its Chairman and CEO to pursue a possible acquisition of the company but those talks ended in 2010.  The company’s total assets were $460.8 million at the end of 2010 and the buyout is being valued at close to $510 million.

We have highlighted each of these other unique public companies in a brief description below and that full prior article on unique companies goes much deeper into the operations and values of each.  Today we have only a brief description and a market capitalization rate compared to total asset values (not book values).

Collectors Universe Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT) is effectively the last public company out there pertaining to grading and evaluating collectibles and grading other items.  The market cap here is about $120 million and the assets are about $37 million.

Destination Maternity Corporation (NASDAQ: DEST) screens out as a retailer, but it is effectively a pure-play in maternity clothing and apparel, with over 1,700 retail locations.  The market cap here is only about $300 million versus a total asset size of about $200 million.

Lululemon Athletica, Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) has become so large that it will almost be forced to live up to its yoga-monopoly image.  Amazingly, very few ‘knock-off’ imitation companies exist on their own.  Lulu’s market cap is now over $7 billion and its valuations totay are likely to scare away a buyer; its total assets were valued recently a about $500 million.

Madison Square Garden, Inc. (NASDAQ: MSG) fits right in for private equity via sports teams, entertainment, and highly recognized venues.  The Garden has a $2 billion market cap and its total assets were listed as worth close to $2.2 billion.

Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. (NASDAQ: OMEX) is basically a publicly traded treasure hunting outfit.  Why not get a bunch of billionaires to scuba dive ancient shipwrecks?  Total assets are listed as about $19 million versus a market cap of about $235 million.  That market cap does not really include its potential project values and future finds.

Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRXI) is truly unique, part artifact-owner and part museum. It owns the BODIES exhibit and has the Salvor-In-Possession rights to the shipwreck of HMS Titanic and has the museum exhibit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Its market cap is only about $85 million and its total assets are listed as being about $37 million.

Rick’s Cabaret International Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK) is truly unique as it screens out as a “restaurant” in financial screens. It is America’s broadest play on “adult nightclubs for businessmen and professionals.”  Its market cap is just over $100 million with a total asset valuation of close to $150 million.  Obviously, the big question will be if a private equity firm wants to explain why it suddenly owns strip clubs.

Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD) is not your normal gold stock as it is involved in royalty acquisitions.  Amazingly, it has only about 20 employees and commands a market cap of $3.25 billion with a total asset valuation of $1.86 billion.

Maybe some of these companies can fit into a private equity portfolio. Keep in mind that some may be too unique or may be in industries which private equity firms choose to avoid.

That more detailed review of very unique public companies is here.

JON C. OGG

Research indicates that Balchin’s Victorysank with a substantial amount of gold and silver aboard.  Thecompany has also said that it has been working with the UnitedKingdom’s Ministry of Defence so that it can be assured that it isrewarded for its efforts.

International maritime law states that warships and government-ownedships even from ages past remain the property of the government.  Thiscompany has had run-ins with the government of Spain over thisbefore.

Odyssey is a treasure hunting company that explores for shipwrecks.  Unlike most shipwreck hunters, Odyssey goes after deepwater discoveries.  The company found the famed Civil War erashipwreck of the SS Republic in 2003.   You have probably seencommercials selling SS Republic coins.  Odyssey recovered more than 50,000coins and 14,000 artifacts from the site nearly 1,700 feet deep.

Odyssey shares are actually trading up sharply.  This closed at $3.95Friday, and shares are up over 30% at $5.17 in pre-market trading.  Its52-week trading range is $2.60 to $7.40,

Jon C. Ogg
February 2, 2009

BDJ Discovery Group filed the original arrest action in 2005 against the Unidentified Shipwreck Vessel, its apparel, tackle, appurtenances and cargo located in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 12 miles off the coast of North Carolina.  Odyssey has been conducting surveys and inspections in the area and on the arrested site since August 2007.  It is currently planning the next stages of survey and archaeological investigation of the site.

BDJ Discovery Group is the company that originally discovered evidence of the site, brought the project to Odyssey in 2007 and an agreement was reached for Odyssey to take over all aspects of the project. BDJ has assigned all of its rights to the artifacts and any wreck from which they originate to Odyssey in return for up to 15% of any proceeds from artifact sales after archaeological excavation, conservation, marketing and certain other expenses.

This lists a small number of gold and silver artifacts among other items in what it calls the "Firefly" site, although this site remains unidentified.  Shares of Odyssey Marine are actually up 9% at $5.50 after this announcement, although the 52-week range is $2.70 to $9.45.  Investors will probably hoping this treasure has no Spanish ship attached to it that the Spaniards can try to go after.

• Odyssey Marine Exploration: Treasure Hunting Rags to Riches (OMR)
• Recent Market Malaise Extra Painful For Cult Stocks

"So son, tell me what you want to be when you grow up….."
"Dad, I want to be a treasure hunter." 
Son, really.  What do you want to be?"
"I told you, a treasure hunter."

Jon C. Ogg
February 25, 2008

This last drop has been extremely tough on many of these speculative and ‘cult stocks’ over the last couple of weeks.  Here are a just a few of the instances in some of the more cult stock names we cover from time to time:

CMGI Inc. (NASDAQ:CMGI) is actually less than 10% above its 52-week lows of $1.20 now.  At $1.36 it is down almost 50% from the $2.60 highs.  This was a major cult stock for the first half of the year.  If the capital markets are closing it may crimp its wave of investing into recent alternative energy companies.  That argument seems flawed, and the ModusLink story has still been receiving coverage.  Here was what we The story didn’t seem like it has changed at all, but it is obviously not at all immune to a market tank nor to a softening economy and any tightening liquidity crunch isn’t going to be well received by CMGI speculators.

Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE) traded as high as $3.28 at the end of April, and shares sit at $2.00 mid-day.  Safeguard traded up after such a large move earlier this year at CMGI.  We interviewed the CEO at the end of June.  Maybe their own capital hasn’t dried up for investing, but partners may have a harder time pulling the trigger now.

Local.com (NASDAQ:LOCM) also saw shares skyrocket on a patent award and on other business developments, but even on the 2+% post-earnings gain today shares have fallen more than 50% from highs in July.

Hoku Scientific Inc. (NASDAQ:HOKU) is still up nearly 300% from lows, but it has been shares in recent weeks fall from highs of over $14.00 down to just under $8.00 today.  Its pending contracts have been viewed with less certainty over the future financing of its polysilicon factory under plans in Idaho.  That is the logic behind the slide any way.  We gave a "both sides of the coin" picture on this back in June, and right now it’s on tails.

Odyssey Marine (NASDAQ:OMEX), formerly OMR on AMEX, shares are higher after it filed amended complaints against Spain after Spain wants its treasure back for free that it lost in shipwrecks and after a recent brief company boat seizure and data copied from one of the laptops on board. This was the story that got Odyssey back on the map, no pun intended.

Obviously there are many names out there that have been given a hard market slap.  A 7% drop in the DJIA has equated to a 7% drop in the NASDAQ.  All eyes are on the FOMC today, although with a liquidity and a housing market at serious risk Bernanke & Co. probably have more on their mind besides small cap speculative stocks. 

In really tough times that won’t have major buyouts and times where investors may not be able to count on share buyback plans to add a floor, investors look at defensive stocks.  Here was our revised ‘bulletproof stock list’ from last week.  Just keep in mind that if a market stays tough, even the teflon stocks fall victime to the firing squad.

Jon C. Ogg
August 7, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.