Smith Micro, Core Inc. Post Sharp Gains in Trading

Shares of two Orange County companies racked up some of the largest percentage gains Thursday in U.S. markets.

Smith Micro Software stock surged 35%, or 75 cents a share, to $2.88, after the Aliso Viejo-based provider of communications software announced its VideoLink software will be bundled with a new PC-Camera line that a unit of Panasonic is selling in Europe. The camera and software can be used for video e-mail and video conferencing. Smith Micro also announced another product agreement with a Chinese-English Internet content provider, McGeorge Productions Inc.

The gain was the 15th-largest in U.S. markets. Nearly 1.5 million shares of Smith Micro stock changed hands, compared with average volume of 47,478 over the last three months.

Core Inc. shares climbed 34.8%, the 16th largest gain, after an analyst rated the stock a “strong buy.” The Irvine-based company, a provider of managed disability services, saw its stock gain $2 a share to $7.75 on trading of 368,400 shares. Volume has averaged 17,705 shares a day over the last three months.

The company’s stock could hit $10 a share in a year as its emerging business grows, said analyst Eleanor Kerns at BT Alex. Brown & Sons Inc.