The S&P 500 rose 1.8% last week to 1,121.64 despite an anemic employment report, which reinforced a slowing recovery. Much of the gains came in the beginning of the week on better-than-forecasted factory and construction spending data.
Pops and drops
Here are the five biggest S&P 500 upticks and five biggest S&P 500 drops of last week (measured Friday close to Friday close):
Winners on the week:
|
Company |
Percentage Gain on the Week |
|---|---|
|
priceline.com |
31.6% |
|
PerkinElmer |
14.5% |
|
Anadarko Petroleum |
13.3% |
|
CIGNA |
11.8% |
|
Cognizant Technology Solutions |
11.7% |
Source: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's).
Losers on the week:
|
Company |
Percentage Loss on the Week |
|---|---|
|
Pitney Bowes |
(15.2%) |
|
Baker Hughes |
(13.5%) |
|
J.C. Penney |
(11.4%) |
|
DeVry |
(11.1%) |
|
Washington Post |
(10.2%) |
Source: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's).
A closer look
Shares of priceline.com rocketed last week to a 10-year high after the online travel company turned in an impressive second quarter. Net income soared 71%, while revenue bolted 27%, as travelers booked more trips. Global hotel bookings drove the bulk of the growth, while airline ticket and rental car bookings rose modestly. International travel bookings rose 59% year over year, as demand for traveling rose and room rates improved. Aggregate bookings were up 43% over last year. Results crushed analyst estimates, causing analysts from Caris & Co. and RBC Capital to raise their price targets on the back of the earnings report. However, priceline did caution that aggregate travel bookings will be up against tough comparisons in the second half of the year compared with 2009, and such growth is expected to decline.
On the flip side, shares of Washington Post were under pressure last week after the media company revealed in its quarterly earnings report that its Kaplan education unit could get hit by new government-imposed rules on for-profit colleges. This is material, as Kaplan accounts for 60% of the company's total sales. The news comes in the wake of an investigation by the Government Accountability Office that found for-profit colleges – including Kaplan and 14 other institutions -- have saddled students with debt, low job placement and followed questionable recruiting practices. The news overshadowed a strong second quarter that saw revenue rise 11% while net income rocketed 637% on growth in its Kaplan unit, improvement in its newspaper division, and an increase in online publishing.
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