Hudson’s Bay (STAR)
Biz quiz! Which of the following moves did Hudson’s Bay announce this week after reporting lower-than-expected sales and a bigger-than-expected loss? a) Changing the company’s name to Tha Hudz in a bid to attract younger, trendier shoppers; b) Offering a free beaver pelt (circa 1750) to customers who spend at least $500; c) closing up to 10 Lord & Taylor stores, including its Manhattan flagship, and selling the Gilt online division. Answer: c.
HBC - TSX, $10.96, up $1.05 or 10.6% over week.
Twitter (STAR)
Twitter isn’t just a great way to bully and abuse people you’ve never met; it has also become a good way to make money. After a rocky start as a public company, shares of the microblogging service have nearly doubled in the past six months, lifted by two consecutive profitable quarters and a growing user base – particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. With Twitter joining the S&P 500 index this week, the only tweets investors are sending out are happy ones.
TWTR - NYSE, US$41.20, up US$4.55 or 12.41% over week.
Weight Watchers International (STAR)
Weight Watchers clients may be shedding a few pounds, but investors’ wallets keep getting fatter. The shares – already up tenfold since Oprah Winfrey bought a 10-per-cent stake in 2015 – jumped after Bank of America Merrill Lynch initiated coverage with a buy rating, saying the company has “merely scratched the surface on recruitment in its core demographic” of 40- to 60-year-old women. With members staying in the program longer, thanks to digital meetings and support, investors can’t weight for the stock to move even higher.
WTW - NYSE, US$85.32, up US$7.48 or 9.61% over week.
Abercrombie & Fitch (STAR)
“Working at Abercrombie & Fitch used to be, like, so easy because nobody ever shopped there. I could, like, take a break whenever I wanted to. But it’s busier now and my friend who works at its Hollister chain said the same thing. A&F closed some stores that were totally losing money and remodelled other ones, and sales were up 11 per cent in the first quarter. Online sales are up, too. But it sucks because now I have to, like, actually help people find their size and stuff.”
ANF - NYSE, US$26.29, up US$4.69% or 21.72% over week.
Dollarama (STAR)
Rule No. 1 when reporting results that miss analyst expectations: Blame Mother Nature. Citing “poor weather conditions” in April that delayed purchases of summer seasonal products, Dollarama posted tepid same-store sales growth of 2.6 per cent in the first quarter – less than the 4.7-per-cent gain analysts had expected and well below what the chain typically reports. With Dollarama’s earnings also missing estimates, shares of the high-flying discounter plunged – but rebounded when investors concluded that the stock was too cheap to pass up.
DOL - TSX, $151.19, up $1.39 or 0.93% over week.