On a day chock full of marquee U.S. economic data points, stocks meandered to small losses, but the S&P 500 posted a weekly gain of 1.6%.
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he Nasdaq Composite, which eked out a small gain Friday, added nearly 1% on the week while the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the week with a gain of about two-thirds of a percent.
Data out earlier on Friday revealed a 10 basis point increase in personal consumption expenditures month-over-month, while U.S. gross domestic product climbed 1% in the fourth quarter, topping economists’ estimate calling for an increase of 0.7%.
While stocks were lethargic on the day, Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF), SunEdison Inc (NYSE:SUNE) and Stamps.com Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP) were standouts.
Here’s why:
Herbalife Ltd. (HLF)
Shares of Herbalife, the multi-level marketer specializing in nutritional supplements, surged 20.5% on volume that was roughly quadruple the daily average after the company said it is working with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve an investigation by that agency into Herbalife’s marketing practices.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission out late Thursday, Herbalife warned investors that there are no guarantees that resolution of the FTC investigation will not have a financial impact on the company. Herbalife is also under investigation by the Department of Justice and the SEC.
SunEdison Inc (SUNE)
Shares of SunEdison, the clean energy producer, soared 31.4% on volume that was more than triple the daily average, after a judge cleared the way for the company to proceed with its $1.9 billion acquisition of rival Vivint Solar Inc (NYSE:VSLR).
SunEdison has seen its stock plunge since the deal was announced. Late last year, the company altered the terms of the deal. SunEdison is now pushing to close the transaction before the end of the first quarter.
Stamps.com Inc. (STMP)
Stamps.com saw its shares climb 21% on turnover that was nearly quadruple the daily average after the company posted fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.57 on an adjusted basis on sales of $69.9 million. Analysts were expecting EPS of 95 cents on revenue of $58.4 million.
The company is forecasting adjusted full-year EPS of f $5 to $5.50 a share on revenue of $290 million to $300 million. Analysts are expecting earnings of $4.33 a share on sales of $289.7 million.
As of this writing, Todd Shriber did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
