A humorous look at the companies that caught our eye, for better or worse, this week
HUDSON'S BAY (DOG)
"Hello! … Hello! … Is anyone here?! … Is anyone here?!" If nothing else, department stores are a great place for echoes. With more consumers shopping online or spending their money at specialty retailers, Hudson's Bay's struggles continued during the holidays as same-store sales in November and December slipped 0.7 per cent, prompting the company to cut its fiscal 2016 earnings outlook. "The stock is falling! … The stock is falling!"
HBC (TSX), $9.50 down $2.64 or 21.7% over week
CAMECO (STAR)
For years, investors treated shares of uranium producer Cameco like they were, well, radioactive. A nuclear disaster in Japan, reactor shutdowns and a uranium supply glut will do that. But with Kazakhstan's announcement of a 10-per-cent production cut in 2017 spurring hopes that uranium prices – which sank 41 per cent last year – may have bottomed, investors are suddenly nutty for nukes again, sending Cameco's shares to a 10-month high.
CCO (TSX), $17.43 up $3.19 or 22.4% over week
DRAGONWAVE (DOG)
Dragon: a mythical monster, often capable of breathing fire and incinerating its enemies;
DragonWave: a company that's been incinerating shareholder wealth for years.
Hammered by "operating challenges," the company – which consolidated its shares 1-for-25 last year to maintain its Nasdaq listing – posted a 51-per-cent drop in revenue for its fiscal third quarter. Shareholders of the high-speed wireless-equipment maker are trying to outrun the flames.
DWI (TSX), $3.02 down 63¢ or 17.3% over week
GAMESTOP (DOG)
Contrary to what you may have heard, playing video games does not necessarily lead to anger and aggression. However, owning shares of video-game retailer GameStop probably does. Hit by weak holiday traffic and a shift to digital game downloads that is hurting bricks-and-mortar chains, GameStop's same-store sales plunged nearly 19 per cent in November and December. With software and console sales both falling hard, the stock got pumped full of lead.
GME (NYSE), $22.73 (U.S.) down $1.79 or 7.3% over week
TECK RESOURCES (STAR)
There once was a business named Teck
Whose shares used to be a train wreck
But with copper, coal and zinc
Coming back from the brink
Folks have got themselves one huge paycheque
TECK.B (TSX), $32.45 up $4.61 or 16.6% over week