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A humorous look at the companies that caught our eye, for better or worse, this week.

Avigilon


AVO (TSX)

  Aug. 15, 2014 close: $18.40
  down $3.67 or 16.6% over week

Avigilon makes high-definition surveillance cameras. Too bad nobody was able to see how bad its most recent quarter would be. Analysts expected profits of 16 cents per share while the company delivered 6 cents. CEO Alexander Fernandes told Bloomberg it’s “short-term pain for long-term gain.” Investors are getting the picture – and it’s fuzzier than they expected.

AutoCanada


ACQ (TSX)

  Aug. 15, 2014 close: $64.12
  down $6.48 or 9.2% over week

At the beginning of 2013, AutoCanada was a $15 stock. In June, it traded above $90. After its earnings release earlier this month, the shares are threatening to drop below $60. The stock once seemed to be a high-performance sports car blowing past its peers; it apparently can travel almost as fast in reverse.

King Digital


KING (NYSE)

  Aug. 15, 2014 close: $13.53 (U.S.)
  down $5.76 or 29.9% over week

Who could have ever predicted that the maker of Candy Crush Saga would be a one-hit wonder? It seems new games Pet Rescue Saga, Papa Pear Saga, Farm Heroes Saga and Bubble Witch Saga haven’t been able to make up for declines in its breakthrough mobile-phone game. Coming soon: Sucker Investor Saga.

SeaWorld


SEAS (NYSE)

  Aug. 15, 2014 close: $18.66 (U.S.)
  down $8.51 or 31.3% over week

“Orcas”? You mean we can’t even call them “killer whales” anymore? The growing orca-rights movement, epitomized by the documentary Blackfish, apparently caused people to stay away from SeaWorld in the most recent quarter. A spokesman from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said that “anyone who cares about marine life … is cheering the fact that SeaWorld stock is tanking.” Maybe we can call orcas “portfolio killers.”

Canadian Solar


CSIQ (Nasdaq)

  Aug. 15, 2014 close: $33.25 (U.S.)
  up $7.84 or 30.9% over week

The soundtrack to Canadian Solar: November, 2012, $2 per share, Buckets of Rain. June, 2013, $10, Here Comes the Sun. After surprisingly good earnings this week, the company cleared $30 and is Walking on Sunshine. It's plunged more than 90 per cent before, though, so let's hope we later don't have to hear Flight of Icarus.