3 Small Caps Drawing Insider and Institutional Support

Group 1: Small-Cap Market Outlook - Small-cap stocks are expected to break out in the second half of 2025 due to potential interest rate cuts, improving macroeconomic conditions, and attractive valuations [1] - Institutional investors are beginning to rotate into small-cap stocks after two years of underperformance compared to large-cap peers [1] Group 2: Boot Barn (BOOT) - Boot Barn reported a 5% year-over-year growth in consolidated same-store sales for FY 2025 and projects a 2% growth for the current year while planning to increase store count by 14% [2] - The company anticipates a total net sales growth of 13%, but this guidance is contingent on raising prices due to tariffs, particularly from China and Mexico [3][4] - Despite tariff concerns slowing institutional buying in Q2 2025, Boot Barn's stock has increased over 35% in the last 12 months and over 11% in 2025, with a market cap exceeding $5 billion [5][6] Group 3: Sterling Infrastructure (STRL) - Sterling Infrastructure has seen its stock rise over 2,300% in the past five years, leading to a market cap of over $7 billion [7] - The company serves large blue-chip clients in e-commerce and data centers and has announced plans to acquire CEC Facilities Group to expand its opportunities [8] - Institutional buying for STRL reached $46 million in the current quarter, significantly outpacing institutional selling of $1 million [9] Group 4: Tactile Systems Technology (TCMD) - Tactile Systems, with a market cap of $230 million, specializes in home therapy solutions for chronic edema and related conditions, targeting a $10 billion total addressable market [11][12] - The company has shown steady revenue growth but is not consistently profitable, with TCMD stock down 41% in 2025 due to skepticism about its market size [13] - Institutional buying has slowed, but notable support comes from Congresswoman Tina Smith, who has made two purchases of the stock [14]