Traders at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. The Dow plunged almost 1000 points on Thursday before closing down 347 points. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Dow Jones Newswires | Several companies whose market values were momentarily wiped out Thursday
said they had been contacted by the New York Stock Exchange. A spokesman from Chicago-based Exelon Corp. said the company
was looking into what happened. Exelon’s stock had been as high as $43.35
Thursday before dropping to zero. It closed off 4.2 percent at $41.86
Thursday,
and was recently down 30 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $41.55.

A
number of other companies, including Boston Beer Co. and insurance agency
and brokerage Brown & Brown Inc., saw their stocks plunge
briefly to zero or to a penny before rebounding amid Thursday’s market
turmoil.

Boston Beer spokeswoman Michelle Sullivan said the NYSE contacted the company and said it was investigating the stock moves and hasn’t given Boston Beer any information on what happened or what the next steps are. It did say the Securities and Exchange Commission is also going to get involved in the investigation, she said.

Boston Beer’s shares were as high as $63.17 Thursday before dropping to a penny. They closed that day at $55.82, off 0.7 percent, and were recently down 2.7 percent at $54.31.

Sullivan added the NYSE had told her 262 companies were affected by the sharp market plunge.

Officials at the NYSE weren’t immediately available to confirm that figure.

Meanwhile, Brown & Brown Chief Financial Officer Cory Walker said the NYSE reached out to his company as well, adding he expects to get more information Friday afternoon. Brown & Brown’s shares traded as high as $19.86 on Thursday before sliding all the way to zero and closing at $18.99, off 3.9 percent. Recently, the shares were up 1 percent at $19.17.

Others that briefly became penny stocks Thursday include Casey’s General Stores Inc. and Accenture PLC.