Benzinga's After Hours Gainers (RIG, MON, HERO)

U.S. equity markets staged a dramatic rally today, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 225 points to close at 10,249. Just when it looked like it was time to throw in the towel on this market and watch the Dow plummet again below 10,000, we were granted a reprieve - at least temporarily. Volume was noticeably light today, and while we could be at a bottom, this week's trading action really only confirms one thing: more volatility. Among the notable stocks that are moving in after hours trading this evening are Transocean RIG, Monsanto MON, and Hercules Offshore HERO. RIG shares have gained 3.29% in late trading to $49.94. During the regular market session, RIG was one of the very few stocks to post a loss, falling 3.38%. The stock continues to be pressured as a result of the BP BP oil spill. The nexus of the catastrophe was a fire on Transocean's (RIG) Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which BP was using in the Gulf. RIG has lost over 40% of its market cap in just the last 3 months. Shares of Monsanto (MON) have jumped 1.27% in the after hours to $50.37. The stock gained 3.28% during the regular market session today, as Goldman Sachs GS added MON to its conviction buy list. The situation at Monsanto is pretty dreadful, as the company has slashed its earnings expectations for this year by more than 20%. This comes on top of the stock's abysmal performance year to date, which has sent the shares down over 38%, making it the second worst performer in the S&P 500. According to Goldman Sachs (GS), things are so bad, that they are actually good. In adding MON to its conviction buy list, the firm's analysts wrote that the "bad news is exhausted," indicating that they think all of the negativity is fully priced into the stock. Hercules Offshore HERO has jumped over 10% in the post market trading session after an analyst made some bullish comments about the company on CNBC's Fast Money. The shares are currently trading hands for $2.90. Hercules (HERO) is a shallow water oil and natural gas driller.