The stock market didn't make any big moves on Tuesday, with major benchmarks mostly easing upward slightly. The ongoing inquiry into possible connections between the Trump administration and Russia continued to command investors' attention, although the decision by Donald Trump Jr. to release personal email communications produced only a short-lived momentary downturn in indexes before they regained lost ground. Yet some individual stocks found themselves in greater difficulty, and Michael Kors Holdings (CPRI -1.67%), Snap (SNAP 2.89%), and Blue Apron (APRN) were among the worst performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so poorly.
Analyst sees Kors as out of fashion
Shares of Michael Kors Holdings dropped over 7% after a stock analyst made negative comments about the fashion retailer. MKM Partners started its coverage on the stock with a sell rating, setting a price target of $26 per share. Kors has struggled to find its strategic vision in the wake of tough conditions in the luxury retail space, and recent slumps in revenue and earnings show few signs of ending anytime soon. The MKM analyst noted that the company hasn't been quick to embrace innovative designs, and poor promotional and merchandising strategies are likely to weigh on margin figures as well as comparable-store sales in the future. Shareholders should also be prepared for even further declines, because even after today's pullback, the price target that MKM put on Kors implies another 20% of downside potential for the stock.
Image source: Michael Kors.
Snap can't snap back from this rare move
Snap stock fell 9% in the wake of receiving a downgrade from a prominent Wall Street analyst company. Morgan Stanley cut its rating on the social-media company from overweight to equal weight, and it slashed its price target on the stock by more than 40% to $16 per share. What especially hurts about the move is that Morgan Stanley served as the lead underwriter on Snap's initial public offering. Investment banks that have underwriting relationships with companies are often among the most optimistic about their prospects, especially immediately after a company goes public. Yet Snap hasn't been able to produce the growth that investors had hoped to see, and rising competition from rival platforms has eaten into Snap's potential for further expansion. The company will have to fight harder to prove to investors that it still has the ability to meet their growth expectations in the long run.
Blue Apron keeps falling
Finally, shares of Blue Apron dropped more than 12%. The meal-delivery company's stock has suffered a big decline since its recent IPO, and today, one analyst company questioned whether Blue Apron has much of a future. Northcoast Research initiated its coverage of Blue Apron with a sell rating and a price target of $2 per share, or more than 75% below where the stock began the day. Investors have increasingly questioned whether competition from other players in the food industry will eat into the opportunity that Blue Apron might have, while some simply never believed that the business model was a viable one. Blue Apron could yet prove naysayers wrong, but for now, the stock shows no signs of having convinced Wall Street that success is in the cards.
