A humorous look at the companies that caught our eye, for better or worse, this week.
TWTR (NYSE)
Feb. 7, 2014 close: $54.35 (U.S.)
down $10.15 or 15.7% over week
Twitter is a great way to get your message out to a lot of people quickly. It’s also a great way to lose a lot of money quickly. Shares of the microblogging service plunged after the number of monthly average users rose just 3.8 per cent in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, compared with growth of 10 per cent, 7 per cent and 6 per cent in the first three quarters respectively.
You’re #broke LOL!
Atlantic Power
ATP (TSX)
Feb. 7, 2014 close: $2.62
down 31¢ or 10.6% over week
Investing quiz! A dividend yield of 15 per cent is:
a) absolutely safe. Enjoy!
b) maybe a teeny weeny bit unsafe;
c) almost certainly unsafe.
Answer: c.
Shares of Atlantic Power short-circuited after the electricity generator announced an $800-million debt refinancing with a “cash sweep provision” that will divert money to debt repayments, which analysts said could threaten the dividend.
WestJet Airlines
WJA (TSX)
Feb. 7, 2014 close: $25.93
up 78¢ or 3.1% over week
The part of the WestJet commercial you didn’t get to see:
After WestJet pilot David Jeffrey returns “Mr. Binky” to the little girl boarding a WestJet plane, she unzips the stuffed rabbit to find wads of $50 and $100 bills inside. “We just posted record earnings for 2013, the stock has been rising and the company raised the dividend by 20 per cent,” Mr. Jeffrey said. “The least I could do was slide the kid a few bucks. She looked hungry.”
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
GMCR (Nasdaq)
Feb. 7, 2014 close: $107.75 (U.S.)
up $26.75 or 33% over week
Trouble waking up in the morning? Try a cup of your favourite coffee chased down with an ice-cold Coca-Cola. It might not be as far-fetched as it sounds: Shares of Green Mountain, purveyor of Keurig coffee machines and K-Cup pods, soared after it announced that Coca-Cola is investing $1.25-billion for a 10-per-cent stake in the company and collaborating on a new machine that will make cold beverages.
Cokeuccino, anyone?
Expedia
EXPE (Nasdaq)
Feb. 7, 2014 close: $74.45 (U.S.)
up $9.47 or 14.6% over week
The sinking loonie may be keeping a lot of Canadians home for March break. But Expedia investors are packing their bags for a Caribbean getaway: Shares of the online travel website surged after fourth-quarter revenue jumped 18 per cent and adjusted profit leaped 46 per cent, lifted by growth in hotel and airline bookings. With results beating expectations, the stock soared to a record high.