Netflix Inc. (STAR)
NFLX - Nasdaq
With all the turmoil in the world – climate disasters, wars, Nazi salutes – perhaps it’s not surprising that people are turning off the news and bingeing on Netflix instead. Shares of the world’s biggest streaming service surged to a record high after the company added nearly 19 million paid subscribers globally – its biggest-ever quarterly increase – driven by programs such as the second season of Squid Game, the Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson boxing match and two National Football League games on Christmas Day. With fourth-quarter earnings roughly doubling from a year earlier to US$1.87-billion or US$4.27 a share, investors can afford a new recliner with heat-and-massage options to enjoy all the action while the world outside burns.
Meta Platforms Inc. (STAR)
META - Nasdaq
Business quiz! Shares of Meta Platforms touched a record high this week after: a) its megabillionaire chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, the third-wealthiest American, was seated in the VIP section of Donald Trump’s inauguration along with the richest and second-richest, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, respectively; b) Meta pulled the plug on its diversity, equity and inclusion program and ended third-party fact-checking of content on its Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites; c) Mr. Zuckerberg pledged to invest up to US$65-billion this year to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure, which will include a massive data centre in Louisiana that “would cover a significant part of Manhattan”; d) all of the above. Answer: d
Aecon Group Inc. (STAR)
ARE - TSX
You say nuclear, I say nuke-ya-ler – let’s call the whole thing a great way to make money. Shares of Aecon Group were heating up like a nuclear reactor after the construction and infrastructure development company announced that a 50/50 joint venture with partner AtkinsRéalis Group – formerly SNC-Lavalin Group – won a contract from Ontario Power Generation to refurbish four reactors at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. With the total contract worth about US$2.1-billion and Aecon’s stock roughly doubling in the past year, investors are radiating happiness.
Moderna Inc. (STAR)
MRNA - Nasdaq
Thank goodness we’ve moved on from COVID-19 and the world is no longer threatened by a deadly global virus that … pardon? Bird flu is spreading? I stand corrected. With avian influenza outbreaks hitting poultry and dairy cows in the U.S. and infecting dozens of people, including one who died, Moderna received US$590-million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate the development of mRNA vaccines against the H5N1 virus. That would explain why Moderna’s stock price, unlike millions of dead birds, is taking flight.
Electronic Arts Inc. (DOG)
EA - Nasdaq
True or false? When a company preannounces quarterly results, it’s usually because it has some exciting news it can’t wait to share with investors. Answer: false. Shares of Electronic Arts tumbled after the video-game maker, citing disappointing results in its “global football” and Dragon Age franchises, warned that fiscal third-quarter revenue and earnings will miss expectations. The company also projected a mid-single-digit-percentage decline in “live services net bookings” – a measure of revenue – for the year ending March 31, down from a previous forecast of mid-single-digit growth. Investors are giving the stock a red card.