A humorous look at the companies that caught our eye, for better or worse, this week
Netflix Inc. (DOG)
Now streaming on Netflix: Growth Stock Nightmare! It’s the true story of an internet video company whose stock soars to dizzying heights, only to plunge after the company unexpectedly loses 130,000 U.S. subscribers and adds just 2.7 million customers globally in the second quarter – far less than the five million additions it had forecast. With Netflix burning through US$594-million of cash in the quarter and subscriber growth slowing in the face of price hikes, increasing competition and a dearth of hit shows, it’s a cliffhanger you don’t want to miss!
Burcon Nutrascience Corp. (STAR)
Why did the investor cross the road? Because someone said the words “plant-based meat alternative.” In the latest example of investors going gaga for anything related to fake meat, shares of Vancouver-based Burcon Nutrascience have surged roughly 50 per cent since the company announced in May that it’s part of a group that plans to build a $65-million pea-protein and canola-protein production facility in Manitoba. The only question is whether the fake meat fad will still be going strong when the plant opens in mid-2020, or if consumers will have gone back to eating good old animal flesh.
Domino’s Pizza Inc. (DOG)
Back in the day, if you wanted food delivered you had two choices: pizza or Chinese. Now, thanks to the proliferation of delivery apps such as SkipTheDishes and Uber Eats, you can order burgers, sushi, Thai food or – my personal favourite – a beet salad with a side of turnip chips. Mmm! The delivery boom is great for consumers, but bad news for pizza chains such as Domino’s: U.S. same-store sales growth of 3 per cent in the second quarter fell well short of the 4.6 per cent that analysts had expected, causing investors to lose their appetites for the stock.
Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. (DOG)
How to lose a lot of money quickly: 1) Wire cash to a man from “Lotto Netherlands” who claims he needs it to process your €500,000 win; 2) Bet on the Blue Jays; 3) Invest in mining stocks. Shares of Turquoise Hill Resources plummeted after the company said the underground Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia could be delayed by 16 to 30 months and cost between US$1.2-billion and US$1.9-billion more than previously expected. With production pushed out to May, 2022, at the earliest, investors aren’t sticking around.
NFI Group Inc. (DOG)
Get the safety cones and flares. Bus maker NFI Group is stranded at the side of the road again. Citing supply disruptions, missed production days and delays tied to new product launches, the company formerly known as New Flyer Industries said bus deliveries fell 11.2 per cent in the second quarter and warned that earnings, to be released on Aug. 13, will be hit by these and other factors. With NFI’s stock experiencing one breakdown after another in the past year or so, investors are getting off this bus.
John Heinzl