A humorous look at the companies that caught our eye, for better or worse, this week
Alphabet (STAR)
Things that are valued at roughly US$1-trillion: 1) The combined GDP of Sweden, Singapore and Ukraine; 2) The U.S. budget deficit; 3) The market capitalization of Alphabet. The owner of search giant Google this week became only the fourth U.S. company to join the trillion-dollar club, which includes tech titans Apple, Microsoft and Amazon (whose market cap briefly topped US$1-trillion in 2018 but has since fallen to a laughably small US$930-billion or so). It’s nice to see that all those annoying ads that pop up on your computer screen are going to a good cause.
Bombardier (DOG)
Shares of Bombardier are plunging again? Quelle surprise! Citing factors including “challenging rail projects” and aircraft deliveries that were delayed into the first quarter, the plane and train maker said full-year results will miss previous forecasts and include a fourth-quarter adjusted loss – before interest and taxes – of about US$230-million in its rail division. With Bombardier expecting fourth-quarter free cash flow to be US$650-million below previous estimates and also “reassessing” its A220 partnership with Airbus, investors are catching the first train out of here.
Signet Jewelers (STAR)
A few weeks ago, investors’ love affair with Signet Jewelers appeared to be on the rocks. Now, the engagement is back on again. The owner of retail chains including Kay, Zales, Jared and Peoples said same-store sales rose a better-than-expected 1.6 per cent during the holiday season, as double-digit growth in e-commerce more than made up for a slight drop in bricks-and-mortar revenues. Wells Fargo, which downgraded the shares to “underweight” earlier this month, has some explaining to do.
Target (DOG)
Well, it looks like the folks running Target are human after all. Shares of the discount retailer, which had nearly doubled in 2019 as consumers embraced same-day delivery and curbside pickup, sank after Target’s holiday results missed its own forecasts. Held back by weakness in toys and electronics, same-store sales in the November-December period grew just 1.4 per cent, down from 5.7 per cent a year ago and below Target’s forecast of 3- to 4-per-cent growth. Investors are returning their shares to customer service.
Intellipharmaceutics International (DOG)
Just say no to drugs. Saying no to drug stocks might not be a bad idea, either. Shares of Intellipharmaceutics International fell off a cliff after two committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted not to support approval of Aximris XR, the company’s oxycodone extended-release tablets for the management of severe, long-term pain. Speaking of pain, Intellipharmaceutics shareholders are feeling plenty of it.