But if you think those profits are nice, get a load of the 10 best performing equities on the quarter – with #10 tallying returns of “only” +120%! Buyouts had a lot to do with the list as you will see, with a number of small-cap tech picks posting huge returns. But there are a few turnaround stocks in here too that investors may want to think about adding to their portfolio.

The only caveat is that this list of top performers excludes microcaps and penny stocks. To make the list, stocks had to be listed on a major exchange (no pink sheets) and hold a market cap of at least $100 million. But here they are:

Unica Corporation (NASDAQ: UNCA) is a provider of software and services used to automate marketing processes and track web traffic. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) snatched up Unica in mid-August for $480 million or $21 a share. The 120% premium has equaled 120% profits for shareholders over previous valuations. But like the other buyout targets discussed, there’s not much trading left to do in this tech stock now that the buyout news is past.

Atlas Pipeline Holdings, L.P. (NYSE: AHD) surged in July when its subsidiary Atlas Pipeline Partners (NYSE: APL) inked a deal to sell its Elk City System to Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP) for $682 million. The transaction eliminated virtually all senior secured debt, deleveraged Atlas and allowed for the resumption of APL’s distributions after about a year of no payouts. APL is up +60% on the quarter, but parent AHD surged by twice that on the favorable transaction news.

Nu Horizons Electronics Corp. (NASDAQ: NUHC) produces active and passive electronic components for everything from semiconductors, fiber-optic components and memory chips. Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW). The $7 a share buyout ($130 million total) was announced little more than two weeks ago, so NUHC tallied most of its gains very recently.

Zymogenetics Inc. (NASDAQ: ZGEN) stock soared +80% in one day at the beginning of September on a $9.75 per share ($885 million total) buyout offer from Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY). Shares have locked onto that price so there’s not much less for investors to do but watch. ZGEN was one of a number of biotech and small-cap health care buyouts on the quarter, but one of the most dramatic gainers.

K-V Pharmaceutical Co. (NYSE: KV.A and KV.B) develops, acquires and markets branded and generic prescription drugs. The stock rallied strongly on the quarter as the FDA finally cleared K-V after being shut down for about two years after quality control concerns. The stock is still a long way from the $20 range it enjoyed in 2008 before the scandal, but this may be a sign that K-V is back.

Rediff.com India (NASDAQ: REDF) is an online news, entertainment and shopping portal for India and to the global Indian community. The company is a favorite among BRIC investors for its emerging market potential, but the company was not profitable as of its latest quarter. The company contends that it is is likely to return to profitability in next couple of quarters, and apparently investors believe that. Advertising rates rose 26% YoY for REDF in its last quarter, overall revenue grew 16% and subscriber rolls grew about 15%.

ExpressJet Airlines (NYSE: XJT) is a regional carrier that operates a fleet of over 200 aircraft serving 150 locations as part of both Continental and United airline networks. SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYW) made a move to buyout the company in August and that has resulted in the stock doubling across just a few days of trading. Those returns have stuck, with a +150% return on the quarter as of Sept. 30.

While some of the top performers on the quarter can be debated going forward as good or bad investments, 3Par (NYSE: PAR) isn’t long for this world after Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HP) outbid Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) in a war for the data storage firm. After several bumps higher as the buyout drama unfolded, 3Par is now locked into $33 a share (or $2.35 billion) that was the final bid.

MagicJack, the popular voice-over-Internet gadget advertised on TV infomercials and now at many retailers including Walmart (NYSE: WMT), is in part behind the third-quarter surge of VocalTec Communications (NASDAQ: CALL). After a merger between MagicJack’s manufacturer and the VOIP firm VocalTec, CALL stock exploded. The firm said it plans to come out with a microcell tower soon that does what the MagicJack does for landlines – but for cellular phones. That could be a big hit. Join all that with a $12 million stock buyback and a 5-for-1 stock split and you got the makings of a stunning breakout since July 1. VocalTec stock is up about +320% on the quarter.