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ONE Group Hospitality (STKS) – Implementing the Asset Light Strategy

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Overview. The ONE Group Hospitality’s second quarter 2026 results underscore the momentum the Company is building across the portfolio, driven by the continued strength of the Company’s Vibe Dining brands. Consolidated comparable sales were positive, with positive transaction growth across all segments. Quarterly margin performance was strong, with the consolidated margin expanding 110 basis points to 16.4%.

2Q26 Results. ONE Group reported 2Q26 revenue of $200.5 million, down 3.3% from $207.4 million for the same quarter last year. The decrease was primarily attributable to the closed grill concept restaurants, partially offset by an increase in comparable restaurant sales and sales from new restaurants opened since July 2025. Adjusted EBITDA attributable to ONE Group was $21.1 million in 2Q26 compared to $23.4 million in 2Q25, a decrease of 9.7%, primarily due to increased investment in marketing during the quarter and an increase in general and administrative expenses, excluding stock-based compensation.


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NN (NNBR) – First Look 2Q26 Operating Results; Deleveraging Transaction

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Overview. NN delivered strong financial performance in 2Q26 with record results in many areas. The Company’s 5-pillar growth program is delivering results. New sales are higher margin, attached to higher-growth-rate end markets, and mostly immediate 2026 startup. The second half of 2026 is expected to reflect continued momentum and strong financial performance.

2Q26 Results. Net sales for 2Q26 were $128.7 million, an increase of 19.3% compared to net sales of $107.9 million for the same period in 2025. We were at $116 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $17.9 million, an increase of 36.1% compared to adjusted EBITDA of $13.2 million for 2Q25, primarily driven by improved sales mix and operating performance. We had projected $15 million. Adjusted net income was $5.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted common share, an increase of $4.7 million, or $0.09 per diluted common share, compared to adjusted net income of $0.7 million, or $0.02 per diluted common share, in 2Q25. We were at $2.2 million and $0.04, respectively.


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InPlay Oil (IPOOF) – Strategic Acquisition Enhances Outlook

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

Mark Reichman, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Natural Resources, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Accretive Strategic Acquisition. InPlay Oil announced the acquisition of a private oil and gas producer for C$54.25 million, adding approximately 1,400 boe/d of oil-weighted production and increasing company-wide production to more than 20,100 boe/d. The acquired assets are contiguous with InPlay’s existing operations, enabling approximately C$2.5 million of annual cost synergies, while adding 50 drilling locations and immediately enhancing adjusted funds flow and free adjusted funds flow on a per-share basis. The transaction is expected to close by the end of August, subject to customary closing conditions. Post-close, InPlay expects to have more than 450 total drilling locations, including approximately 230 Tier-1 locations.

Corporate Guidance. InPlay continues to execute strongly, with recent Cardium wells materially outperforming expectations and being drilled ahead of schedule, allowing InPlay to expand its 2026 drilling program to 17 net wells on a pro forma basis. Reflecting stronger operational performance and the acquisition, management increased 2026 guidance, including adjusted funds flow (AFF) to C$161 million to C$169 million, free adjusted funds flow (FAFF) to C$79 million to C$89 million, and FAFF yield to 19% to 21%, despite higher capital spending of C$80 million to C$82 million.


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Information Services Group (III) – First Look 2Q26 Operating Results

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Overview. Information Services Group had a very strong second quarter, generating the highest quarterly revenue since 2023. Growth in the quarter was led by Europe, up 10%, and the Americas, up 7%, while recurring revenues reached a new quarterly high of $30 million, driven by the Company’s AI-centered research and governance services.

2Q26 Results. Reported revenues for the second quarter were $65.5 million, up 6.4% from $61.6 million in the prior year, and above our $63 million projection. Second-quarter adjusted EBITDA was $9.4 million, up 13% y-o-y.  Adjusted EBITDA margin was 14.3%, compared with 13.5% in the prior year’s second quarter. We were at $8.45 million and 13.4%, respectively. ISG reported adjusted net income for 2Q26 of $5.0 million, or $0.10 per share, compared with adjusted net income of $4.1 million, or $0.08 per share, in 2Q25. We had projected $4.4 million and $0.09/sh.


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Graham (GHM) – New Awards

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Awards. Graham Corporation was awarded two contracts for a combined value of over $43 million. These awards reflect the continued demand the Company is seeing across its defense platforms. The revenue for the contracts will be reflected in the Company’s first and second fiscal year 2027 backlog.

MK48 Mod 7 Heavyweight Torpedo. The first award is a follow-on fourth option year supporting the MK48 Mod 7 Heavyweight Torpedo program, awarded in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, which ended June 30, 2026. The Company will continue to provide alternators and regulators under this option year.


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First Phosphate Corp. (FRSPF) – Federal Funding for Infrastructure Planning

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

Mark Reichman, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Natural Resources, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Federal Funding for Begin-Lamarche. First Phosphate Corp. has finalized agreements with the Government of Canada to receive C$4.84 million in non-repayable funding through Natural Resources Canada’s First and Last Mile Fund to support infrastructure planning for its Bégin-Lamarche phosphate deposit in Québec. The new funding builds on the C$16.7 million previously awarded by NRCan in March 2026, demonstrating continued federal support for advancing the strategic critical minerals project.

Investments in Infrastructure Planning. The funding will support two key initiatives: 1) approximately C$3.07 million for studies and design of a 161-kV power transmission line and substations, and 2) approximately C$1.77 million for planning a new mine access road and evaluating upgrades to bypass roads to support transportation between Begin-Lamarche and regional infrastructure, including rail links and the Port of Saguenay. Both projects include technical, environmental, and economic studies, engineering design, and consultation with indigenous communities and the public.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Lilly’s Quarter Confirmed It: Obesity Is Pharma’s Most Valuable Real Estate

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Eli Lilly jumped as much as 7% Wednesday after another quarter that made one thing clear: the appetite for weight-loss drugs isn’t slowing down. For small-cap investors, though, the trillion-dollar stock isn’t the story. What that demand does to the hunt for the next obesity drug is.

First, the quarter. Lilly raised its 2026 revenue forecast to a range of $85 billion to $87 billion, up from a prior ceiling near $85 billion, and beat on adjusted earnings — all powered by its GLP-1 franchise. It has momentum behind it, too: the FDA approved Foundayo, the pill version of its weight-loss drug, earlier this year, and next-generation candidate retatrutide is on track for an FDA filing early next year. The stock has climbed more than 40% since late April.

Here’s the read-through for the small end of the market.

Obesity is now the most valuable franchise in all of pharma, and the two giants that own it — Lilly and Novo Nordisk — are in a full sprint to stay ahead. That sprint runs straight through small-cap biotech. Building a differentiated metabolic drug from scratch is slow and uncertain; buying one that already has promising human data is faster. Big pharma has shown, again and again, that it will pay enormous premiums for early obesity and metabolic assets. Every small-cap sitting on a credible next-generation candidate — an oral GLP-1, an amylin, a muscle-sparing combination — is wearing a target because of quarters like this one.

There’s a second, quieter beneficiary: the supply chain. A demand curve this steep needs manufacturing, and that lifts the unglamorous names that make it possible — the peptide contract manufacturers, the auto-injector and drug-delivery specialists, and now the oral-formulation capacity that Foundayo’s approval just validated. It’s the same picks-and-shovels logic behind the bioprocessing consolidation we’ve watched all summer: when a therapy category explodes, the companies supplying the tools get pulled along, and often bought.

Now the discipline, because this is where enthusiasm gets expensive. Obesity biotech is binary and badly overcrowded. For every small-cap with a genuine shot at the next blockbuster, a dozen are running me-too molecules that will quietly fail in the clinic. And many of the credible names already trade on takeout hope, which means a chunk of the premium is baked in before any deal is announced. The filter is differentiated, de-risked clinical data — an asset the giants can’t easily replicate and would rather buy. Everything else is a lottery ticket.

The takeaway is simple. The mega-cap headline is demand. The small-cap opportunity is the arms race that demand is funding. Lilly’s quarter didn’t just reward Lilly shareholders — it reminded every deal team in pharma that owning the future of obesity may be cheaper to buy than to build. Watch the small-caps holding data the giants can’t ignore.

Everyone’s Watching Record Highs. Smart Money Is Watching Oil and Small Caps

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Wall Street woke up Wednesday to more of what it’s gotten all week: record highs, falling oil, and a fragile peace headline out of the Middle East. The financial press will lead with the Dow. The more useful question for anyone investing below the mega-cap tier is what cheaper crude actually does to small caps.

Start with the setup. After a searing rally that pushed the S&P 500 and Dow to record closes Tuesday, US futures steadied Wednesday morning. Oil fell for a third straight session — Brent slipped near $78 and WTI dropped under $75 — on growing hope that the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil, could reopen. Qatar said a US–Iran proposal has been drafted, and Iran is reportedly weighing whether to let European navies clear mines from the waterway. Asia cheered it overnight, with South Korea’s KOSPI jumping 4%. Gold pushed higher, the VIX stayed calm, and Russell 2000 futures held firm.

Here’s why small-cap investors should care more than the headline suggests.

Small companies are the most exposed to the price of energy — and the most helped when it falls. They’re overwhelmingly domestic, they run thinner margins, and they lack the global hedging desks and pricing power of the mega-caps. When crude drops, the input-cost relief flows straight to the bottom line of small-cap industrials, transports, manufacturers, and consumer names. Cheaper oil is, in effect, a stealth margin boost for the exact companies that live closest to the edge on the income statement.

There’s a second-order effect that matters even more. Lower oil feeds disinflation, disinflation keeps the Fed’s rate-cut path alive, and small caps are the single most rate-sensitive corner of the market. Pair that with this week’s soft ADP jobs number and you get a macro mix that has historically favored the little guys.

Now the honest other side, because it cuts both ways. Energy is a meaningful slice of the Russell 2000, and cheaper crude squeezes small-cap exploration and production names hard. If your small-cap exposure leans toward oil and gas, this is a headwind, not a tailwind. The net effect depends entirely on what you own.

Step back, though, and the direction of travel is the story. The rally is finally broadening beyond the handful of AI mega-caps that carried it for two years — the Russell is joining the record run, not watching from the sidelines. A de-risking geopolitical backdrop, falling oil, and an easing Fed is the kind of trifecta that tends to reward the laggards. For two years, small caps have been the laggard.

One caveat to keep front and center: this peace is fragile, and a single headline could send oil right back up. Don’t build a thesis on a diplomatic maybe. But watch the setup. While everyone fixates on the Dow printing another record, the more interesting move may be one rung down the market-cap ladder — where the companies most helped by cheap oil and cheap money have been overlooked the longest.

Superior Group of Companies (SGC) – Branded Products Powers Earnings Growth

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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Equity Research Analyst, Digital, Media & Technology , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

George Proost, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

An impressive earnings beat. Q2 revenue increased 2.6% to $147.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose 26.6% to $7.7 million and adjusted EPS more than doubled to $0.21. The results beat our estimates of $143.8 million, $6.5 million, and $0.08 per share, respectively. 

Branded Products powers the recovery. Revenue advanced 6.2%, and segment EBITDA increased 24.9% to $11.2 million, supported by a favorable customer mix, improved sourcing, and growing volumes from existing customers. Management indicated that the segment has favorable operating momentum into the second half. 


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Kratos Defense & Security (KTOS) – Strong 2Q26 Top Line Growth; Momentum Continues to Build

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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Overview. Kratos’ second quarter results reflect strong execution by the Company, in our view. The Company’s strategy, including making internally funded investments to be first-to-market with relevant hardware and software that is engineered up front for affordable mass production at scale and is aligned with the Department of War’s priorities, continues to resonate, in our view.

2Q26 Results. Revenues for the second quarter were $458.8 million, above management’s guide of $400 million-$410 million. We were at $405 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $38.2 million, above the high end of the estimated range of $30 million-$35 million, reflecting the increased revenue and revenue mix. We had forecast $33 million. GAAP net income for 2Q26 was $4.4 million, and GAAP EPS was $0.02, compared to $2.9 million and  $0.02, respectively, for 2Q25. Adjusted EPS was $0.21 for 2Q26, compared to $0.11 for 2Q25.


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InPlay Oil (IPOOF) – Updating Estimates Based on Higher Second Quarter Crude Oil Prices

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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Mark Reichman, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Natural Resources, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Updating estimates. We have increased our Q2 FY2026 revenue, adjusted funds flow (AFF), and AFF per share estimates to C$122.0 million, C$49.6 million, and C$1.77, respectively, from C$104.0 million, C$36.2 million, and C$1.29. While we have lowered our production estimate to 18,663 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) from 18,875 boe/d due to Q2 weather impacts, the increases in our estimates are largely due to higher crude oil prices. For FY 2026, we now project revenue, AFF, and AFF per share of C$425.6 million, C$162.5 million, and C$5.80, respectively, compared to our prior estimates of C$406.2 million, C$148.4 million, and C$5.29. Our FY 2026 average production forecast of 18,900 boe/d is unchanged.

Outlook. InPlay has approximately 190 Tier 1 drilling locations that provide an estimated 10 to 15 years of high-return inventory. The company’s low-decline asset base supports sustainable free cash flow generation while limiting capital requirements needed to maintain production. Conservative leverage provides capacity for future acquisitions while maintaining shareholder returns through the dividend.


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FreightCar America (RAIL) – Second Quarter 2026 Review and Outlook

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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Mark Reichman, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Natural Resources, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

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Second Quarter FY 2026 Financial Results. RAIL generated a 2Q FY26 adjusted net loss to common stockholders of $821.0 thousand, or $(0.02) per share, compared to adjusted net income of $3.8 million, or $0.11 per share, during the prior year period. Gross margin as a percentage of revenue amounted to 5.5% compared to 15.0% in 2Q FY 2025. Revenue and rail car deliveries declined to $113.1 million and 927, compared to $118.6 million and 939 during the prior year period. Adj. EBITDA amounted to $1.2 million compared to $9.3 million in 2Q FY 2025. 

Updated FY 2026 Guidance. Management updated its FY 2026 guidance. Railcar deliveries are expected to be in the range of 3,500 to 3,900, revenue in the range of $410 to $460 million, and adj. EBITDA in the range of $36 to $44 million. Prior guidance projected railcar deliveries in the range of 4,000 to 4,500, revenue in the range of $500 to $550 million, and adj. EBITDA in the range of $41 to $50 million.


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CoreCivic, Inc. (CXW) – Opening Another Previously Idle Facility

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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

New Award. CoreCivic has been awarded a new contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) to utilize the Company’s 1,600-bed Prairie Correctional Facility located in Appleton, Minnesota, a facility that has been idle since 2010. Awards seem to be picking up once again, especially for previously idle facilities, suggesting to us that ICE is moving back to the tried-and-true detention operating model, with less focus on alternative detention models.

Impact. The new contract commences on August 11, 2026, for a term of five years. The agreement provides for a fixed monthly payment plus an incremental per diem payment based on detainee populations. Taking into account start-up activities and the phased commencement of intake operations, we currently expect an immaterial impact to earnings for the remainder of 2026. Once the facility is fully activated, management expects this facility to generate total annual revenue of approximately $75 million. The facility should begin receiving detainees in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the full ramp estimated to be complete in the second quarter of 2027.


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