Article: National Lampoon's stock market leap is no joke. (J2 Communications Inc.'s stock)

Stock in its owner, J2, aided by expectations for film

National Lampoon has spiked like a big banana on Wall Street.

Stock in J2 Communications Inc., the West Los Angeles-based moviemaker and owner of the National Lampoon magazine and name, has jumped 340 percent, to $3 a share, in trading last week, up from 69 cents late last year.

And on one day, Feb. 1, more than 1.4 million shares of J2 Communications traded, out of total shares outstanding of 3.1 million.

"That's almost half the float (stock outstanding) in a single trading session," remarked Stan Trilling, veteran broker with PaineWebber Inc. in downtown Los Angeles. "This stock has gone crazy."

Behind the ...

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