RemedyTemp Shares Jump 21%

Shares of RemedyTemp Inc., which provides clerical and light industrial temporary staffing services, rose 21% on optimism that the flourishing e-commerce industry would boost the company’s business.

The stock rose $3 a share to $17 in trading of 169,700, almost three times the three-month daily average.

The Aliso Viejo-based company said Tuesday after the close of trading that the development of Internet businesses was increasing demand for temporary workers to fulfill orders and to staff customer service call centers.

“We’ve all watched the growth of e-commerce, and that opens a large market for RemedyTemp,” said Wheat First Union analyst Mark S. Marcon, who raised his rating on the company to “buy” from “outperform.” “They have shown that they have a good track record supplying workers for repetitive tasks like order fulfillment.”

The company also reported that it earned $3.7 million, or 41 cents a share, in the first quarter ended Dec. 27, matching the average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by First Call Corp. That compared with $3.5 million, or 38 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose to $119.8 million from $111.1 million.