Pet Valu Holdings Ltd. (DOG)
Bad dog! Investors sent Pet Valu Holdings to the doghouse after same-store sales grew just 2.3 per cent in the third quarter, missing expectations by a full percentage point. Results were hit by a slowdown in discretionary spending and increased promotional activity from competitors, prompting the company to trim its full-year sales guidance. With Pet Valu’s stock tumbling about 29 per cent since the end of August, this pooch is chewing through investors’ portfolios like a golden retriever through a couch cushion.
Strategy Inc. (DOG)
Michael Saylor looked like a genius when the price of bitcoin was soaring. Now, investors in his highly leveraged “bitcoin treasury” company must be feeling pretty stupid. Shares of Strategy, a software developer that pivoted to buying billions of dollars of bitcoin, have tumbled by more than half since peaking at US$543 a year ago when crypto was soaring on Donald Trump’s election win. With bitcoin this week slipping below US$100,000 for the first time since June, investors are losing confidence in Mr. Saylor’s strategy of selling boatloads of shares and debt to accumulate the digital tokens. Leverage and crypto. What could possibly go wrong?
Lemonade Inc. (STAR)
How much the average kid makes selling lemonade: five to 10 bucks. How much revenue Lemonade Inc. brought in for the third quarter: US$194.5-million. The online insurance company, which uses AI to help write its home, auto, pet and life policies, said its customer count grew by 24 per cent year-over-year to 2,869,900. Premiums on active policies, meanwhile, jumped 30 per cent to US$1.16-billion on an annualized basis. Take the frozen Minute Maid back to the store, kids – it’s time to open an insurance stand.
Trex Company Inc. (DOG)
Don’t you hate it when you build a backyard deck and invite the neighbours over for a barbecue – and then the deck collapses? Shareholders of Trex Company suffered extensive financial injuries after the maker of composite decking materials posted third-quarter revenue below expectations and warned that full-year sales will be roughly flat with 2024 levels, citing “continuing weakness in the repair and remodel sector.” Looks like the deck is stacked against the company.
Doordash Inc. (DOG)
Doordash investors are dashing out the door all right. Even as the food delivery platform’s third-quarter revenue surged 27 per cent to US$3.4-billion, profit of 55 US cents a share fell short of Wall Street’s forecast of 69 US cents, as soaring costs weighed on the bottom line. Doordash is spending heavily on acquisitions and technology such as autonomous delivery robots, and expenses are expected to climb by “several hundred million dollars” in 2026, the company said. With the stock suffering its biggest single-day drop on record, investors are reheating leftovers in the microwave to save cash.