Here are five small companies that could have huge returns with a bit of good fortune. Kevin Rendino, formerly of Merrill Lynch and BlackRock, is an activist investor focused on reviving small companies that might just be sleeping giants. He still believes the so-called "end-of-the-world" scenario that investors are pricing in for that group of stocks right now is completely unwarranted. "I don't see the excesses in the system like we saw in 2008, which would cause a recession," Rendino said. Below are five of Rendino's favorite stocks right now along with the ticker, market capitalization, and thesis for each.

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Persons: Kevin Rendino, there's, Merrill Lynch, Rendino, We're, We've, We'll, we're, they've, Russell Microcap, Russell, —, — Rendino, he's, Warren Buffett Organizations: BlackRock, Capital, Nasdaq, Investors