Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over daily movements, we do like to keep an eye on market changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
In classic fashion, the Federal Reserve delivered the news that most investors had expected today, yet even continued bond-buying from the central bank wasn't enough to keep stocks rising. Nevertheless, despite a drop of about half a percent for the S&P 500, DreamWorks Animation (DWA), LifeLock (LOCK), and Level 3 Communications (LVLT) all bucked the downward trend by posting dramatic gains. Let's take a closer look to find out what sent those stocks soaring today.
DreamWorks Animation gained 17% after the company gave investors some positive news in its earnings report last night. After initial fears that its movie Turbo, could produce huge losses, DreamWorks said that international sales had made Turbo profitable. Overall, the moviemaker's profit still fell by more than half from year-ago levels, but prospects for future films look brighter and could help DreamWorks produce better comparisons next year and beyond.
LifeLock gained 16% after announcing its own third-quarter results last night. Revenue jumped by a third to new record levels as the company added 218,000 new members, retention rates improved, and monthly average revenue per member rose by double-digit percentages. Overall, the identity-theft protection company boosted its adjusted net income by 28%, although an increase in share count that left adjusted earnings per share unchanged. Moreover, favorable guidance supported the bullish view on the fraud-prevention specialist, as greater opportunities for identity theft from mobile devices could well lead to longer-term growth opportunities for LifeLock.
Level 3 Communications picked up 9%. Despite reporting a $53 million decline in sales in its wholesale voice-services segment, Level 3 managed to cut its loss by more than 85% compared to last year's figures. Moreover, growth in its core network-services segment led investors to conclude that Level 3 could finally see improving conditions after a long period of weak capital spending from customers throughout the telecom industry.
