Already under pressure from the weight of recent gains, stocks were an easy target for sellers on Wednesday when the bearish effort was revitalized by alarmingly weak job growth numbers. Payroll processor ADP reported it only counted 156,000 new jobs last month, versus expectations for 195,000 new payrolls.
Assuming it could be a sign of an economic slowdown, traders sent the S&P 500 to a close of 2051.12 today, down 0.59%.
Leading the charge for today’s selloff were Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ:GLUU), Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) and Under Armour Inc (NYSE:UA).
Here’s why.
Glu Mobile Inc. (GLUU)
Glu Mobile fell nearly 14% today following last quarter’s disappointing numbers and a subsequent downgrade of GLUU shares.
In its first fiscal quarter of 2016, mobile game publisher Glu Mobile managed to top expectations, but delivered a second quarter outlook that was less than thrilling. Specifically, the company lost 3 cents per share on a top line of $54 million. Analysts had only projected sales of $48.2 million and a loss of 5 cents per share.
Nevertheless, the company now anticipates sales of between $46 million and $49 million for Q2, and is looking for a loss of between 5 and 6 cents per share of GLUU. Analysts had been expecting a loss of 4 cents per share on $59 million worth of revenue.
A flat-out un-compelling lineup of mobile games, coupled with the tepid guidance, was enough to prompt ROTH Capital to downgrade GLUU from a “Buy” to “Neutral.”
Priceline Group Inc (PCLN)
The good news is that online-travel outfit Priceline Group topped its Q1 earnings estimates. The bad news is that its Q2 outlook was weaker than expected, sending PCLN shares down a hefty 7.5%.
Last quarter, Priceline earned $10.54 per share on revenue of $2.15 billion. The pros were only calling for a profit of $9.65 per share of PCLN stock and $2.12 billion worth of sales. Per-share profits were up 30% on a year-over-year basis, and the top line grew 17%.
Looking ahead, Priceline Group expects to report a profit of between $11.60 and $12.50 per share of PCLN, versus an average analyst estimate of $14.98. Those same analysts were calling for a 16% increase in year-over-year revenue, but the company warned its second-quarter top line is only apt to grow between 7% and 14%.
Under Armour Inc (UA)
Last but not least, plenty of supporters came to Under Armour’s defense, but all of those efforts were to no avail. UA investors were simply too concerned about the fact that not one, but two executives could mean there’s trouble behind the company’s proverbial closed doors.
Chief Merchandising Officer Henry Stafford as well as Chief Digital Officer Robin Thurston will both be stepping down. Neither had been at either post for more than three years. The circumstances behind their respective exits aren’t clear, but it’s not a stretch for investors to interpret the abdications that the best days for UA are behind them.
The resignations prompted at least one downgrade — Brean Capital lowered its opinion on UA from a “Buy” to a “Hold,” explaining:
“While Under Armour has generally quickly filled key positions with highly talented individuals (see CFO Chip Molloy as prime example), organizational perception is worth monitoring going forward as they seek to acquire new talent.”
UA shares closed more than 7% lower on Wednesday.
As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
