McDonald's (Star)
Now that people can order Egg McMuffins for lunch and dinner, what are they supposed to have for breakfast? A Coke and fries? Now there's an idea. Thanks to the success of all-day breakfast and new menu offerings such as different sizes of Big Macs, McDonald's posted a 4-per-cent jump in global same-store sales in the first quarter as earnings beat expectations. With the recovery at Mickey D's gaining strength, the stock price is growing faster than the waistlines of its customers.
MCD (NYSE), $139.93 (U.S.), up $6.52 or 4.9% over week
Hasbro (Star)
True or false: Hasbro has a new game called Toilet Trouble in which players get sprayed in the face by water from a toy toilet. Answer: true. As, er, fun as that sounds, here's something even better: owning Hasbro's stock. Thanks to the success of new products and the popularity of mobile games tied to Transformers and other Hasbro properties, the toy maker's earnings beat estimates, sending its stock higher. You might say investors are flush with cash.
HAS (Nasdaq), $99.11 (U.S.), up $3.08 or 3.2% over week
Caterpillar (Star)
Caterpillar's heavy machines can smash through earth and rock. But this week, the company was smashing something else: first-quarter earnings estimates. Helped by strong demand in the Asia-Pacific region, Caterpillar's revenue rose 3.8 per cent to $9.82-billion – its first increase in more than two years. With the company hiking its full-year forecast and the stock hitting its highest in more than three years, CAT investors are purring with happiness.
CAT (NYSE), $102.26 (U.S.) up $7.94 or 8.4% over week
Home Capital Group (Dog)
Brokers fudging subprime loan applications. A regulatory investigation. Depositors withdrawing funds. A plummeting stock price. No, you haven't taken a time machine back to 2008. Its stock already slumping badly this year, Home Capital's problems went from bad to worse this week, prompting the company to seek a $2-billion lifeline with an effective interest rate of 15 per cent. Well, it's cheaper than a credit card.
HCG (TSX), $8.04, down $11.21 or 58.2% over week
Metro (Star)
Like finding bargains at the grocery store? The biggest bargain of them all was grocery store operator Metro, whose shares sold for less than $39 in early March but have since surged more than 20 per cent. Even while facing intense competition and food price deflation, the operator of Metro and Food Basics posted a 9.8-per-cent increase in earnings per share for the second quarter. Investors are filling their shopping carts with tender, juicy cuts of stock.
MRU (TSX), $46.78, up $4.43 or 10.5% over week