Filed under: Company News, Earnings, Market News, Investing
Plenty of stocks go up and down in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets.
Let’s go over some of last week’s best and worst performers.
King Digital Entertainment (KING) — Up 17 percent last week
Shares of King Digital soared 20 percent two weeks ago after it posted quarterly results that show that the company behind “Candy Crush Saga” is diversifying its revenue mix. It followed that up with a 17 percent pop last week after releasing a sequel to the game that put the mobile gaming company on the map.
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Tuesday’s release of “Candy Crush Soda Saga” on mobile is promising. It offers the same addictive candy-crushing purpose adapted to a soda theme with new features. King Digital is only launching the game with 135 levels, but it’s a safe bet that developers will ramp that up if it proves successful.
The new game is off to a great start. It was the top iOS download over the weekend, according to App Annie. It was second only to Facebook Messenger through the leading Android app store.
DreamWorks Animation (DWA) — Up 17 percent last week
The computer animation studio moved higher on reports that Hasbro (HAS) was in talks to acquire the company behind the “Shrek” and “Madagascar” movie franchises. Neither party confirmed the chatter — and reports over the weekend claimed that the talks had broken down — but it’s a combination that would make sense.
DreamWorks Animation could use a way out. Revenue peaked in 2010 when “Shrek Forever After” hit theaters. It has come out with some reasonably compelling releases since then, but DreamWorks Animation isn’t the same force that it used to be. Hasbro, on the other hand, knows how to milk properties. It has seen its Transformers and G.I. Joe lines thrive on the silver screen. It could work wonders with DreamWorks Animation’s vault as it becomes more of an entertainment company.
Pandora Media (P) — Up 16 percent last week
The leading provider of streaming music rose after its CEO made an opportunistic purchase. CEO Brian McAndrews bought 25,000 shares at an average price of $18.58. The $464,500 purchase is significant: It’s the first direct purchase by a Pandora insider since shortly after its 2011 initial public offering.
Plug Power (PLUG) — Down 30 percent last week
It was a brutal week for investors betting on fuel cells as a form of alternative energy. Plug Power shed nearly a third of its value after the maker of GenDrive fuel cell power systems posted a larger quarterly deficit than analysts were forecasting. Plug Power’s disappointing report bled into peers, with shares of FuelCell Energy (FCEL) and Ballard Power Systems (BLDP) plunging 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
Movado (MOV) — Down 29 percent last week
The biggest loser on the New York Stock Exchange last week was Movado, plunging after offering up a problematic business update. The watchmaker’s preliminary take on the third quarter that ended last month shows a slight year-over-year decline in revenue, operating profit, and earnings.
Movado sees modest growth returning during the holiday quarter, but the weak fiscal third quarter was enough to scare investors away. There’s been this lingering fear that making watches is a fading industry. With smartphones telling time and so much more, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Movado and some of its peers.
Sears Holdings (SHLD) — Down 13 percent last week
The parent company behind Sears and Kmart soared a week earlier after revealing that it was considering the sale of 300 of its stores to form a real estate investment trust, a move that would raise some necessary cash. The struggling retailer’s stock reversed course last week after the market began to consider the challenges that continue to make a turnaround at Sears Holdings unlikely. The company is raising money to get through the next few months, but not enough to address the necessary investments to update its two dated department store concepts.
Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends DreamWorks Animation, Hasbro and Pandora Media. The Motley Fool owns shares of Hasbro and Pandora Media. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. To read about our favorite high-yielding dividend stocks for any investor, check out our free report.
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Source: Investing
