STOCKS TO WATCH: Jupiter Communications, Netpliance and Theglobe.com

Jupiter should gain ground Friday after it posted a surprise profit in its second quarter, pocketing $1.6 million, or 11 cents a share, on sales of $25.7 million.

First Call Corp. consensus expected it to lose 7 cents a share in the quarter.

Jupiter shares closed off 1 1/2 to 25 1/2 ahead of the earnings report.

The $25.7 million in sales represents a 207 percent jump from the year-ago quarter when it earned $199,000, or 2 cents a share, on sales of $8.4 million.

Including a variety of one-time charges, Jupiter posted a net loss of $227,000, or 1 cent a share.

In June, Jupiter announced it would merge with Media Metrix (Nasdaq: MMXI) in a $414 million stock deal that will create a one-stop Internet research and statistics shop.

Its shares moved up to a 52-week high of 47 3/8 in November before tumbling to a low of 16 5/8 in May.

Keep an eye on Netpliance shares Friday after it posted a smaller-than-expected loss in its second quarter, losing $40.9 million, or 68 cents a share, on sales of $2.9 million.

A survey of analysts by First Call Corp. predicted it would lose 71 cents a share in the quarter.

Netpliance shares fell 3/16 to 7 1/2 ahead of the earnings report.

In the first quarter, Netpliance posted a loss of 69 cents a share on sales of $1.3 million.

Company officials said its i-opener service membership jumped to more than 44,000 in the quarter, more than double that at the close of the first quarter.

Investors should have fun digesting Theglobe.com's latest earnings report.

It did post a wider loss than the year before but not as big of a loss as the lone analyst following the stock had predicted.

The online community network reported a second quarter loss of $10.2 million, or 33 cents a share, excluding amortization and a one-time restructuring charge.

Although First Call has no published consensus estimate for Theglobe.com, Wit Capital analyst Jordan Rohan last month predicted a loss of 39 cents a share for the quarter ended June 30.

Shares of Theglobe.com traded at 1 3/4 in after-hours activity on the Island electronic communications network, immediately following the quarterly report. The stock closed Thursday's regular trading at 1 5/8, up 1/16 for the session.

Second quarter pro forma losses widened from the comparable period a year earlier, when Theglobe.com reported a pro forma loss of $6.7 million, or 27 cents a share. Company losses also grew from the first quarter, when Theglobe.com lost $8.9 million, or 31 cents a share.