was the star on an uncharacteristically crowded stage for initial public offerings on Tuesday as its shares more than doubled in value, posting the largest first-day jump in over three months.

Five companies went public on Tuesday, bustling activity for a new-issues sector that has been treading water for the past few weeks. The shares of four of the debuts closed above their IPO prices, an indication investors are coming back.

"The fast horse racers got out in front (and) stayed there according to script,'' said John Fitzgibbon of WorldFinanceNet.com, describing the market activity.

"We are in an upward trend. You're seeing evidence of it now.'' Marvell shares closed 41-5/8 higher at 56-5/8 in Nasdaq trading, a gain of over 277 percent. It was the largest gain for an IPO since the shares of Internet software provider Selectica Inc. jumped over 370 percent from their $30 offering price on March 10, according to Thomson Securities Data.

Marvell makes circuits that allow users to store and transmit digital data at high speeds. It raised $90 million through lead underwriter Goldman Sachs when its 6-million-share deal priced at $15 per share.

The Hamilton, Bermuda-based company is, "poised to do quite well today and in the future,'' said Kenan Pollack, money editor at Hoover's Online, citing the company's profitability, a rarity in the IPO world.

Last year, the company posted net income of $13.1 million from revenue of about $81.3 million.

Two other IPOs, Stratos Lightwave Inc. and Click Commerce Inc. distinguished themselves in Tuesday trading.

The shares of Stratos, an provider of components for the telecommunications industry, finished up 13-1 at 34-1 on the Nasdaq after the company sold 8.75 million shares at $21 each through lead underwriter Lehman Brothers.

Based in Chicago, Stratos makes optical devices that work in data networking and telecommunications programmes that convert electronic signals into optical signals and back.

The shares of Click Commerce, a business-to-business Internet software provider, closed up 7-5 at 17-5 on the Nasdaq after the company's 5 million share deal priced at $10 per share.

The Chicago-based company's offering was led by Morgan Stanley. Click Commerce's customers include Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. and Qualcomm Inc.

The day's other two offerings, BusyBox Inc. and eFunds Corp. enjoyed more modest first-day performances.

The shares of BusyBox, which sells and distributes photographs and film footage over the Internet, closed up 9/16 at 5-9/16 after the company raised $12.5 million in a deal led by underwriter BarronChase Securities.

eFunds shares closed the day flat after it sold 5.5 million shares at $13 each.

The Milwaukee-based company is a unit of Deluxe Corp., the largest cheque printer in the world.