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

Tim Hortons


THI (TSX)

  Aug. 29, 2014 close: $87.40
  up $18.62 or 27.1% over week

Tim Hortons’s incoming CEO Marc Caira on May 8, 2013: “Tim Hortons is an iconic brand and national treasure in Canada.” And really, there’s only one thing to do with a national treasure of such stature: sell it to foreigners. With Burger King’s owner poised to take control of Tims in a $12.5-billion leveraged buyout, investors aren’t shedding any tears: Mr. Caira alone could pocket more than $15-million from options, restricted shares and change-in-control payments if he leaves. Speaking of treasures …

Smith & Wesson


SWHC (Nasdaq)

  Aug. 29, 2014 close: $11.07 (U.S.)
  down $1.91 or 14.7% over week

Gun safety tips:

1) Never let a nine-year-old handle an Uzi submachine gun;
2) Never point a loaded weapon at your face while cleaning it;
3) Never buy shares of Smith & Wesson.

Hit by slumping demand from consumers who are no longer worried that the U.S. government will introduce tougher gun control laws, the firearms maker posted sharply lower first-quarter profit and gave a full-year outlook well below analysts’ expectations. Investors’ portfolios are riddled with bullet holes.

RadioShack


RSH (NYSE)

  Aug. 29, 2014 close: $1.60 (U.S.)
  up 92¢ or 135% over week

RadioShack still exists? Yup – barely. After plunging to penny-stock status this year from more than $20 (U.S.) in 2010, shares of the long-struggling U.S. electronics retailer are rebounding amid speculation that shareholder Standard General – which owns about 10 per cent – could throw the company a lifeline. Without a cash infusion, analysts warn that the company will eventually have to pull the plug.

Digital Ally


DGLY (Nasdaq)

  Aug. 29, 2014 close: $18.66 (U.S.)
  up $10.72 or 135% over week

Digital Ally’s sales may be small – revenue totalled just $3.4-million (U.S.) in the second quarter – but the stock has been posting big returns ever since a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., shot and killed an unarmed teenager. The company, which makes car video systems and body cameras, is seeing a spike in inquiries from police forces that want to use the products in the field to document law enforcement activity. A $1.1-million order from the Michigan State Police didn’t hurt.

Williams-Sonoma


WSM (NYSE)

  Aug. 29, 2014 close: $65.77 (U.S.)
  down $8.53 or 11.5% over week

Williams-Sonoma investors were expecting big things from the kitchenware and home furnishings retailer, judging by the stock’s lofty price-to-earnings multiple of 23 times this year’s estimates. Surprise! Although the company matched Wall Street’s projections for the second quarter, its third-quarter outlook came up short, sending the stock to its biggest one-day loss in 31 months. With inventories up sharply, this might be a good time to get a deal on a new cookware set.