Five Stars from 2005

Five Stars from 2005

By Francis X. Gilpin

Associate Editor

A Gulf Coast Business Review examination of the stock prices of more than 50 Gulf Coast-based public companies shows a handful had stellar run-ups in 2005.

The company with the biggest dollar jump in share price was Radiation Therapy Services Inc., which experienced a 154% increase in stock value.

The Fort Myers operator of cancer treatment clinics recently completed a $150 million debt financing. The company will use the borrowing to add to the 65 radiation therapy centers it runs in 13 states.

Investors appear to be expecting revenue growth from the Radiation Therapy's entry into Arizona, Maryland and Massachusetts during 2005. The company, which mostly does business as 21st Century Oncology, previously concentrated on Nevada as well as Southeast and mid-Atlantic states.

For the latest quarter that ended Sept. 30, Radiation Therapy reported net income of $4.5 million on revenue of $56 million. For the year earlier quarter, the company had net income of $2.9 million on revenue of $40.7 million.

The second-best stock performer was a perennial Wall Street darling, Chico's FAS Inc., another Fort Myers company.

The stock price of the women's apparel retailer went up 94% as its string of higher and higher revenue and profit reports continued.

Standard & Poor's LLC estimates Chico's will earn $1.08 per share when the company reports results after the Jan. 31 completion of its 2006 fiscal year. Fiscal 2005 earnings were 78 cents per share.

Wall Street likes the potential of Chico's latest addition, a chain of intimate apparel outlets.

Next on the Review's list of rising stocks was Global Signal Inc. The Sarasota real estate investment trust is one of the largest owners of wireless communication towers in the country.

Global Signal's stock rose 73%, apparently buoyed by a $1.2 billion acquisition of towers from Sprint Nextel in 2005. The company now has more than 10,000 towers, a threefold increase from a year ago.

The company is expected to lose 47 cents a share for 2005, partly due to projected stock-option expensing. Global Signal earned 13 cents a share in 2004 and 11 cents in 2003.

Walter Industries Inc. was fourth on the Review's list of public companies. The diversified Tampa home building, finance and energy company saw its share price appreciate 53% during 2005.

The company is preparing to spin off its water products division early in 2006. But the biggest factor in the stock increase may be its wider gross margins, especially in a coal and natural gas segment, which accounts for 27% of the company's annual revenue.

Jabil Circuit Inc. came in fifth on the Review stock list. The St. Petersburg electronics manufacturer's stock was up 48% for the year.

The company's net income for its fiscal 2006 first quarter, which ended Nov. 30, was up 38% to nearly $77 million.

With technology spending predicted to increase in 2006, Jabil President and Chief Executive Timothy L. Main recently told shareholders: "Demand for Jabil's outsourcing services is very strong and broad-based across many industry sectors."

HOW GULF COAST PUBLIC COMPANIES' STOCKS PERFORMED IN 2005

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price on price on One-yr Percent

Company Headquarters Ticker 12/23/04 12/23/05 chg. gain/loss

Ablest Inc. Clearwater AIH $7.35 $8.33 $0.98 13.3%

Aerosonic Corp. Clearwater AIM $4.60 $6.78 $2.18 47.4%

American Land Lease Inc. Clearwater ANL $20.72 $23.63 $2.91 14.0%

Bancshares of Florida Inc. Naples BOFL $15.61 $22.41 $6.80 43.6%

Beasley Broadcast Group Inc. Naples BBGI $17.00 $13.74 -$3.26 -19.2%

Catalina Marketing Corp. St. Petersburg POS $28.92 $26.60 -$2.32 -8.0%

Certegy Inc. St. Petersburg CEY $35.31 $40.68 $5.37 15.2%

Checkers Drive In Restaurants Inc. Tampa CHKR $13.15 $14.75 $1.60 12.2%

Chico's FAS Inc. Fort Myers CHS $22.81 $44.32 $21.51 94.3%

Coast Financial Holdings Inc. Bradenton CFHI $17.18 $16.50 -$0.68 -4.0%

CPC of America Inc. Sarasota CPCF.OB $37.00 $16.25 -$20.75 -56.1%

Cryo-Cell International Inc. Oldsmar CCEL.OB $3.75 $3.47 -$0.28 -7.5%

Danka Business Systems PLC St. Petersburg DANKY $3.10 $1.55 -$1.55 -50.0%

Diamondhead Casino Corp. Madeira Beach DHCC.OB $0.62 $1.70 $1.08 174.2%

First Advantage Corp. St. Petersburg FADV $20.06 $27.57 $7.51 37.4%

First Comm. Bank Corp. Pinellas Park FCFL $27.92 $26.50 -$1.42 -5.1%

First National Bancshares Inc. Bradenton FBMT $26.00 $32.26 $6.26 24.1%

First State Financial Corp. Sarasota FSTF $12.81 $15.44 $2.63 20.5%

Flanders Corp. St. Petersburg FLDR $9.69 $12.20 $2.51 25.9%

GeoPharma Inc. Largo GORX $4.66 $3.52 -$1.14 -24.5%

Gevity HR Inc. Bradenton GVHR $19.25 $27.20 $7.95 41.3%

Global Imaging Systems Inc. Tampa GISX $39.76 $35.41 -$4.35 -10.9%

Global Signal Inc. Sarasota GSL $25.20 $43.71 $18.51 73.5%

Health Management Associates Naples HMA $22.58 $22.30 -$0.28 -1.2%

IA Global Inc. Tampa IAO $0.30 $0.30 $0.00 0.0%

Jabil Circuit Inc. St. Petersburg JBL $25.26 $37.38 $12.12 48.0%

Kforce Inc. Tampa KFRC $10.99 $11.61 $0.62 5.6%

Lincare Holdings Inc. Clearwater LNCR $42.05 $41.82 -$0.23 -0.5%

Marinemax Inc. Clearwater HZO $29.90 $30.19 $0.29 1.0%

Maritrans Inc. Tampa TUG $17.38 $26.82 $9.44 54.3%

MTS Medication Tech. Inc. Clearwater MPP $7.80 $6.36 -$1.44 -18.5%

NetWolves Corp. Tampa WOLV $1.04 $0.31 -$0.73 -70.2%

Nicholas Financial Inc. Clearwater NICK $9.35 $10.36 $1.01 10.8%

Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. Tampa OMR $2.33 $3.93 $1.60 68.7%

Outback Steakhouse Inc. Tampa OSI $43.99 $41.28 -$2.71 -6.2%

Paradise Inc. Plant City PARF.OB $20.65 $17.50 -$3.15 -15.3%

Powerlinx Corp. St. Petersburg PWLX.OB $0.21 $0.06 -$0.15 -71.4%

Quality Distribution Inc. Tampa QLTY $7.83 $7.66 -$0.17 -2.2%

Radiation Therapy Services Inc. Fort Myers RTSX $14.36 $36.48 $22.12 154.0%

Raymond James Financial St. Petersburg RJF $30.59 $38.12 $7.53 24.6%

Reptron Electronics Inc. Tampa RPRN.OB $7.25 $0.32 -$6.93 -95.6%

Shells Seafood Restaurants Inc. Tampa SHLL.OB $0.76 $0.95 $0.19 25.0%

Source Interlink Cos. Inc. Bonita Springs SORC $12.83 $11.25 -$1.58 -12.3%

SRI Surgical Express Inc. Tampa STRC $4.81 $6.02 $1.21 25.2%

Sun Hydraulics Corp. Sarasota SNHY $10.42 $20.39 $9.97 95.7%

Superior Uniform Group Inc. Seminole SGC $13.41 $10.35 -$3.06 -22.8%

Sykes Enterprises Inc. Tampa SYKE $6.81 $13.88 $7.07 103.8%

Syniverse Holdings Inc.* Tampa SVR $16.00 $21.17 $5.17 32.3%

Tech Data Corp. Clearwater TECD $45.14 $40.21 -$4.93 -10.9%

Technology Research Corp. Clearwater TRCI $6.81 $4.48 -$2.33 -34.2%

TECO Energy Inc. Tampa TE $14.71 $17.40 $2.69 18.3%

Utek Corp. Plant City UTK $14.58 $13.55 -$1.03 -7.1%

Walter Industries Inc. Tampa WLT $33.31 $51.00 $17.69 53.1%

WCI Communities Inc. Bonita Springs WCI $29.44 $26.70 -$2.74 -9.3%

Wellcare Health Plans Inc. Tampa WCG $30.75 $42.49 $11.74 38.2%

Whitney Information Network Cape Coral RUSS.OB $2.25 $7.92 $5.67 252.0%

* Company went public in 2005

Source: Yahoo! Inc.; U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission