Monday was a disappointment for stock market investors, as the major market indexes failed to push further into record territory following an extraordinarily strong week before the Independence Day holiday. Investors were nervous about the soon-to-be released minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, with many worrying that the possibility of earlier short-term interest rate increases could send stocks into a long-awaited correction. The broad market's losses were fairly modest, but GT Advanced Technologies (NASDAQ: GTAT), Pandora Media (P), and Goodrich Petroleum (NYSE: GDP) all suffered more dramatic losses.
Source: GT Advanced Technologies.
GT Advanced Technologies plunged 16% as the maker of sapphire components for smartphones and other mobile devices suffered multiple analyst downgrades. Investors have looked forward to the possibility that sapphire components will make up a much larger portion of Apple's (AAPL -1.22%) coming iPhone 6 release, but some analysts now question whether any future increase in sapphire adoption will be enough to move the stock higher from current levels. Reports of lower shipment volumes also prompted skepticism about GT Advanced Technologies' ability to meet its guidance. Without expected accelerating growth from new smartphone releases, GT Advanced Technologies faces an uphill road ahead.
Pandora Media fell 6% even as the Internet-radio company got what should have been good news. Recently, U.S. music buyers have shifted their purchasing practices away from physical CDs and digital downloads, favoring instead the flexibility and ease of services from streaming-music services like Pandora. Yet one question the music industry faces is whether it can make money with the low amounts of revenue that streaming creates. If the industry increases royalty demands for streaming, then Pandora's content costs could soar, making its business model a lot less viable as a long-term profit opportunity. Moreover, new competition in the industry poses a constant threat to Pandora, despite its first-mover advantage in the space.
Goodrich Petroleum dropped 9% after the independent oil and gas company announced the latest news from its well in the promising Tuscaloosa Marine Shale area. The Beech Grove 94H-1 well produced a peak production rate of 672 barrels of oil plus 412,000 cubic feet of natural gas, and the company is also working at boosting its rig count in the play later in the year. Nevertheless, investors remain uncertain whether Goodrich Petroleum will get the full value of its huge investment in the shale play, and the general move away from energy stocks in general also didn't help Goodrich shares.
