The stock market was little changed on Tuesday, with investors taking a break from the big gains that have sent major-market benchmarks to all-time record highs recently. Nervous market participants have worried about a potential correction for months, but even when anxiety hits the market, it has lately made only small declines before bouncing back. Moreover, even on a quiet day for the market, several stocks posted notable gains, including Skyworks Solutions (SWKS -1.55%), Acadia Healthcare (ACHC -0.17%), and The Fresh Market (TFM).
Skyworks Solutions rose 6% as the semiconductor maker got more optimistic in its guidance for the current quarter. Skyworks now expects a 31% year-over-year jump in revenue to $570 million, which was $35 million higher than its previous sales guidance. Similarly, Skyworks' call for adjusted earnings of $0.80 per share would represent 48% year-over-year growth and is almost 10% higher than previous guidance. Skyworks specifically mentioned the Internet of Things as the driving force behind its better expectations, and recent partnerships should help Skyworks boost its gross margins and help the company make the most of its revenue growth going forward.
Acadia Healthcare jumped 14% after the operator of inpatient psychiatric facilities and treatment centers announced it would pay $660 million to buy out U.K. behavioral health-care company Partnerships in Care. The move not only gives Acadia international expansion opportunities, but it could also immediately boost Acadia's own earnings, which is relatively unusual for mergers and acquisitions to accomplish. Stock analysts were impressed with the move, especially given the boost to earnings and the potential for lower consolidated income tax rates resulting from lower U.K. corporate taxes. The news shows how Acadia Healthcare and other small players often pay attention to trends that their larger counterparts try to follow, and it's sometimes easier for smaller companies to get transactions done.
Source: The Fresh Market.
The Fresh Market gained 8%. More investors looked favorably at insider purchases from Chairman Ray Berry, who spent more than $13 million buying shares of the natural-foods grocery specialist. Recently, investors have had major concerns about the state of the natural niche, with even Fresh Market's biggest rival suffering big share-price declines recently as competition grows fiercer. Insider confidence can be a great way to score short-term moves for the stock, but Fresh Market will have to prove that it has the business savvy to get through a tough stretch for the industry if it wants to see its gains today hold up in the long run.
