Tuesday was another down day for the Dow Jones Industrials, which fell more than 100 points to drop further below the 20,000 level. But broader market measures were mixed, and the Nasdaq Composite even managed to gain ground. Continued uncertainty about the impact of new policies from the U.S. federal government have kept markets a bit turbulent, and the beginning of a two-day meeting of the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee could set the tone for monetary policy in 2017. Some stocks had bad news that sent them lower today, and among the worst performers were Seadrill (SDRL +0.00%), Roadrunner Transportation Systems (RRTS 4.19%), and Tempur Sealy International (TPX +0.41%). Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so poorly.
Image source: Seadrill.
Seadrill takes a dive on debt woes
Seadrill plunged 30% after announcing that it has not yet reached a final agreement with its creditors to restructure the offshore drilling services specialist's debt. CEO Per Wullf noted that "These negotiations have proved to be more complex than we had originally anticipated." Yet the company remains confident that it can reach an acceptable agreement before a key financing facility matures on April 30. Shareholders, though, clearly anticipate that creditors will want a substantial amount of equity in exchange for any restructuring agreement, and the resulting dilution could hit existing owners of Seadrill stock hard. Going forward, a lot will depend on how ambitious Seadrill is in seeking new capital to take advantage of any future opportunities that might arise, but investors aren't optimistic about the current capital structure continuing beyond April.
Roadrunner runs off the road
Roadrunner Transportation Systems plummeted 31% in the wake of its announcement Tuesday morning that it would have to restate financial statements from as far back as 2014. The transportation and logistics services provider said that its audit committee had found that investors should no longer rely on annual reports from 2014 and 2015, as well as quarterly reports throughout 2014, 2015, and 2016. The move comes after Roadrunner discovered in November that there were possible accounting discrepancies at two of its operating subsidiaries, and although the investigation is still ongoing, Roadrunner said that it has already found errors that will require adjustments of $20 million to $25 million. With the potential for more discoveries down the road, investors worry that the worst might not yet be over for Roadrunner.
Tempur Sealy can't wake up
Finally, Tempur Sealy fell another 5%. The mattress maker plunged 28% on Monday after announcing that its mattresses would no longer be sold in Mattress Firm stores, apparently after the supplier concluded that it wouldn't make requested concessions that would have been more beneficial to Mattress Firm at Tempur Sealy's expense. Mattress Firm recently got acquired by a private equity investor at a premium that seemed extremely aggressive, so it's not a surprise that the mattress retailer is looking to squeeze its suppliers. Still, Tempur Sealy investors fear that the loss of a major customer will have immediate negative impacts on its financials, and even assurances from company executives that the move is positive in the long run failed to lead to a rebound in the stock Tuesday.
