The ongoing Facebook IPO debacle and continuing Chesapeake Energy shenanigans graced headlines for yet another week, but other noteworthy happenings went down, too. Let's take a look at what the heck happened with three stocks this week.
Invest in Scotch whiskey, all fiscal year long
Beverage behemoth Diageo (NYSE: DEO) announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest $1.5 billion in Scotch whiskey production over the next several years. Why? A global thirst for whiskey coupled with huge potential for emerging-market growth. In Brazil, Scotch consumption is four servings per capita versus 44 in a mature market. That's a huge potential market to grow into.
Diageo enjoyed 50% net sales growth in its scotch brands over the past five years. Last year, Scotch represented 23% of Diageo's net sales. Pure-play spirits competitor Beam (Nasdaq: BEAM) also wants a piece of the action. In January, Beam acquired Irish whiskey producer Cooley Distillery.
Diageo stock rose 4% after the announcement that it'd be investing in production. Then, on Thursday, Diageo spiritedly solidified its commitment to whiskey by announcing it'll buy Cabin Fever Maple Flavored Whiskey. This move plays on Diageo's strength -- developing new products, marketing them, and leveraging its global distribution infrastructure. U.K.-based Diageo, which produces Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, and Bushmills, is up more than 12% this year.
No spring in its mattress, no spring in its step
Tempur-Pedic International (NYSE: TPX) got clobbered this week after management slashed its guidance. The stock plummeted more than 40% on the news. While Tempur-Pedic was crowned the industry darling during the first quarter of 2012, the company expects growth to slow as a flock of competitors abounds in the profitable memory-foam mattress space. Competitor Select Comfort (Nasdaq: SCSS), maker of Sleep Number beds, saw its share price deflate more than 20% on the day.
But Tempur-Pedic views the stock pullback as an ample buying opportunity and plans to snatch up $200 million of its shares on the open market. The stock is off nearly 60% this year and trades at 7 times forward earnings.
A week for deep yoga breaths
Yoga-inspired apparel maker lululemon athletica (Nasdaq: LULU) fell roughly 10% after the company released positive earnings. What? During the first quarter, net revenue increased a whopping 53% and same-store sales grew 25%. The company is managing impressive growth, enjoying great margins, and delivering a brand -- along with an ideal and lifestyle -- that women want. However, all that greatness was being reflected in the priced-to-perfection share price, and the company guidance was more cautious than what investors had expected. When multiples hit these lofty levels, any indication of waning growth can have an outsized impact like this and send shares for a ride. What investors have to ask is whether this is an indication of a long-term trend, and if so, whether they're happy with slightly less rocket-fueled growth going forward.
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