After a sluggish start to the year, stock prices of Iowa’s publicly traded companies continued to rise in March, marking a second consecutive month in overall gain.

Of the 35 public companies tracked by the Business Record that are based in Iowa or have operations in the state, 22 posted gains from February as of close of market on March 31.

Overall, our Iowa Index – an unweighted average price of all 21 Iowa-based public companies – was up $2.07, or 5.8 percent, in March. By comparison, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 356.58, or 1.97 percent, to 17,776.12. NASDAQ was down 62.64, or 1.26 percent, to 4,900.88.

Six of the companies based in Iowa or operating here posted double-digit increases, led by NewLink Genetics Corp., which gained 27 percent to finish at $54.71, and Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc., which rose to $28.55, up 22.8 percent.

The others were West Bancorporation Inc., up 13.5 percent to $19.89; Workiva Inc., which gained 12.5 percent, finishing at $14.40; Meta Financial Group Inc., up 11.4 percent to $39.73; and United Fire Group Inc., up 10.2 percent to $31.77.

Winnebago Industries Inc., which had the second-highest gain in February, posted the biggest loss in March, falling 8.4 percent to $21.26.

Other companies with percentage declines included E I Du Pont De Nemours And Co., down 8.2 percent; Windstream Holdings Inc., down 6.2 percent; and Heartland Express Inc., down 5.6 percent.