(Source: Asbury Park Press)
By David P. Willis, Asbury Park Press, N.J.
Aug. 23--A rise in shares of Vonage Holdings Corp. and a Wall Street rally Friday helped to push the Asbury Park Press/Bloomberg 75 index up 2.04 percent.
The index, made of 75 companies either based at the Shore or with a significant presence in New Jersey, closed at 103.14 on Friday, up 2.06. The index has risen 7.13 percent this year.
Sixty companies gained while 15 declined.
The top gainer by percentage was Opnext Inc., which closed at $2.69, up 49 cents, or 22.3 percent.
Other stocks that saw a rise included: Holmdel-based Vonage Holdings Corp., 46 cents, up 8 cents, or 21.1 percent; Sun Bancorp Inc., $6.08, up 99 cents, or 19.4 percent; Avis Budget Group Inc., $11.57, up cents or 9.05 percent; Target Corp., $45.66, up $3.63, or 8.64 percent; and Knight Capital Group Inc., $19.71, up $1.54, or 8.48 percent.
Last week, Vonage said it would offer international calling to more than 60 countries as part of its $24.99 basic rate in a move to boost its growth. The company said it would also offer visual voice mail, which transcribes messages into an e-mail or text message, for free to customers.
Companies that saw a decline in stock price included: Lowe's Cos. Inc., $21.16, down $1.67, or 7.31 percent; Hudson City Bancorp Inc., $13.37, down 47 cents, or 3.4 percent; Oceanport-based CommVault Systems, $18.45, down 61 cents, or 3.2 percent; The Macerich Co., $25,72, down 61 cents, or 2.32 percent; and Valley National Bancorp., $12.35, down 29 cents, or 2.29 percent.
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