Good apples, bad apples, and cool beans rocked the week that was. Let's check out what happened.
No worm in this Apple
Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL) got small before it got tall. After rolling out compact versions of its Mac and iPod juggernauts, the edgy computer and digital consumer products darling went on to report fiscal first-quarter profits that more than quadrupled with strength and margin improvement all across the board.
The mini products introduced at Macworld earlier in the week may not amount to much. The entry-level Mac Mini, priced in the reasonable $500 to $600 range, ships more like a glorified doorstopper as it comes packaged without a mouse, keyboard, or monitor. Yet from doorstopper to showstopper, Apple's eventual earnings report even swayed a few vocal naysayers into believing that the company's turnaround is for real. Efficiently producing net margins of 8.5% that would even have slick computing king Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) envious, the company also grew revenue by 74%. The stock more than tripled last year and set new highs on Thursday after its stellar report.
Stunning news -- and then some
It has been a wild year for stun gun maker Taser (NASDAQ:TASR) -- and we're still in mid-January! The stock tanked earlier this month after a relentless streak of bad news. From investigations over the product's safety to law enforcement groups' delaying orders to check out Taser's competition to a rash of insider sales, the security specialist was defenseless, watching its stock tank by more than 50% in a span of less than two weeks. Yet in what may be more than merely a stunned cat bounce, the Rule Breakers newsletter recommendation soared by roughly 40% in a two-day span.
No, the stock is nowhere near its all-time highs right now and it still has a fair share of demons to tackle, but it's a perfect example of how sometimes the market overreacts and how investors can profit from the market's pricing inefficiencies.
Would you like a McLatte to go with that Egg McMuffin?
In a move that is long overdue, McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) is getting rid of its Ronald McDonald mascot. No, that's not actually happening. He's a scary-looking clown though, isn't he? All mustard and ketchup colored? What Mickey Ds is really doing is readying a rollout of premium coffee products. It's about time the world's largest restaurant chain decided to hop on the coattails of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX).
Other iconic foodstuff peddlers like 7-Eleven (NYSE:SE) and Allied Domecq's (NYSE:AED) Dunkin' Donuts have turned their fortunes around on the strength of upgraded java offerings.
Will this hurt Starbucks? Not really. The company's comps continue to climb despite the proliferation of high-end bean blends elsewhere. While this move may bear watching because McDonald's has a gargantuan network of fast food units dotting the country's landscape with drive-thru convenience, I still can't picture java-craving college kids sipping down mocha cappuccinos under the chain's bright lights and the crazed gaze of that condiment-colored clown.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Aristotle Munarriz
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz really doesn't like Ronald McDonald, but it may have been something that he ate. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.
