Quantcast
Channel: DailyFinance.com
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 9760

Why Electronic Arts, Illumina, and BlackBerry Jumped Today

0
0

Filed under:

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.

Stocks were a tale of two markets Friday, as the Dow and S&P 500 moved in different directions. The Dow rose due largely to some high-profile gains in two influential card network companies, but broader market measures fell almost half a percent. Still, the gloomy mood didn't hold back shares of Electronic Arts , Illumina , or BlackBerry , each of which posted solid gains today.

Electronic Arts rose 12%, defying a negative trend that affected most of the video game industry over the holidays. Although the NPD Group cited an overall decline in sales of console and handheld-game software during December, it also highlighted EA's latest entries in the Battlefield, Madden, and FIFA series among the top 10 sellers for the month. An analyst at Cowen argued that EA's total sales jumped 40%, allowing the stock to avoid the fate that game retailer GameStop suffered earlier in the week. Moreover, analysts at CRT Capital recommended the stock, setting a $26 price target on the game maker's shares.


Illumina gained 9% after giving details about its strategic road map last night in a press release. The genetics company expects to expand its use of next-generation sequencing technology in areas like the reproductive health and oncology fields, as well as attacking emerging markets. Moreover, Illumina presented products to simplify preparation and analysis of genetic samples, along with its plans for increasing use of genomics in clinics. With some setting the size of Illumina's potential market at $20 billion, the stock could have further to run even after its big gains lately.

BlackBerry picked up 6% after getting a rare positive recommendation from renowned short-selling research group Citron Research. Citron believes that despite BlackBerry's failure to capitalize on its smartphone opportunities, it still has potential as an enterprise software company. With new CEO John Chen taking substantial steps in that direction, Citron put a $15 price target on the stock. Given the number of short-sellers who have bet against BlackBerry, any kind of squeeze could easily send shares soaring higher in the weeks and months to come, even without any fundamental company news.

Get the best stocks you can find
Find winning stocks consistently? They said it couldn't be done. But David Gardner has proved them wrong time, and time, and time again with stock returns like 926%, 2,239%, and 4,371%. In fact, just recently one of his favorite stocks became a 100-bagger. And he's ready to do it again. You can uncover his scientific approach to crushing the market and his carefully chosen six picks for ultimate growth instantly, because he's making this premium report free for you today. Click here now for access.

The article Why Electronic Arts, Illumina, and BlackBerry Jumped Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool recommends Illumina. The Motley Fool owns shares of GameStop. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2014 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 9760

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images