Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over daily movements, we do like to keep an eye on market changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
Today's October jobs report showed that the economy appears to be in much better shape than many investors had feared, and that prompted a big push upward for the stock market that sent the Dow Jones Industrials to new all-time record highs. But some stocks didn't fare nearly as well, as Rocket Fuel (NASDAQ: FUEL), Geron (GERN -3.19%), and Nuverra Environmental Solutions (NESC) all dropped substantially despite the bullish tone in the broader market. Let's look at what's behind these stocks' losses today.
Rocket Fuel plunged by 20% despite reporting record sales in its third-quarter results last night. The newly public digital marketing company saw revenue more than double, but Rocket Fuel posted triple the net loss it did the previous year. Yet investors remain nervous about whether Rocket Fuel can live up to the growth trajectory they want to see from the business. With the stock now below its first-day closing price and quickly approaching its $29 offering price, negative momentum could keep Rocket Fuel's shares moving in the wrong direction.
Geron lost 12% of its value, although the move only gave back a portion of the stock's 45% jump yesterday. As Fool biotech expert Brian Orelli noted earlier today, investors had hoped to learn more about the study results about its imetelstat myelofibrosis treatment that led to yesterday's big gains, but CEO John Scarlett instead cited a nondisclosure embargo in advance of the conference next month at which the results will be presented. Investors will likely have to wait until the December 9 presentation to get all the details, and that apparently was too long to expect some traders to be with the highly volatile stock.
Nuverra Environmental Solutions tanked 31% after its third-quarter results failed to deliver on anticipated gains in revenue despite the increasing prevalence of hydraulic fracturing and other unconventional production methods that require the fluid-management services that Nuverra provides. As Fool energy expert Matt DiLallo noted in his look at the company's earnings, Nuverra didn't even manage to keep up with key competitors in the space, and the company essentially gave up on its Thermo Fluids subsidiary, with plans to sell off the business and try to recoup a portion of the $245 million it paid for Thermo Fluids just last year. A planned 1-for-10 reverse split might be the only way that Nuverra can get its share price back into double digits, and if Nuverra can't capitalize on the energy industry's boom, its stock might not stay above $10 very long afterwards.
