Tuesday was a turbulent day on Wall Street, with most major benchmarks giving up early gains to finish lower. Despite most companies having come through earnings season with relatively strong performance, investors are nervous about the prospects for a global economic slowdown, especially in light of ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and several key international partners. Adding to the gloom were bad showings from some high-profile stocks. Halliburton (HAL -0.47%), Tyson Foods (TSN -0.43%), and Amarin (AMRN 1.72%) were among the worst performers on the day. Here's why they did so poorly.
Halliburton looks less energetic
Shares of Halliburton dropped nearly 6% on a difficult day for companies throughout the oil and gas sector. West Texas Intermediate crude oil plunged nearly $5 per barrel to $55, and globally, crude prices showed similar declines on worries about oversupply and a lack of strong demand. For Halliburton, the concern is that falling prices could prompt clients to cut back on their production, and that in turn would reduce the amount of services and supplies that the oil-field specialist would be able to deliver. Oil has performed quite badly lately, and unless things turn around soon, Halliburton could continue to see tough times heading into the end of the year.
Image source: Getty Images.
Tyson leaves investors feeling hungry
Tyson Foods stock dropped almost 6% after the company reported fiscal fourth-quarter financial results that fell short of expectations. The meat processor said that revenue fell 1% from year-earlier levels, with adjusted net income per share rising more than 10% over the same period. Sales volumes were mixed, with chicken climbing 10% and beef up 3%. Yet a 3% drop in pork volume weighed on results, and more importantly, average price declines of 15% for pork and 7% for chicken hurt overall revenue figures. Tyson's numbers show the impact of tariffs on the food industry, and the meat company's peers could see similar headwinds as long as tariffs remain in place.
Amarin can't pull up
Finally, shares of Amarin finished lower by 22%. The drug company added to losses from Monday, which stemmed from clinical results over the weekend about its fish oil drug, Vascepa. Although the results showed improvement in patients with elevated triglyceride levels, Amarin took criticism for its choice of placebo as a control in the study. Now, investors seem less certain that encouraging results in the recent past will lead to an expanded indication for Vascepa. Yet even after today's declines, Amarin stock is still trading at roughly five times what it fetched as recently as mid-September.
