3 Stocks That Are Tearing It Up This Weekend

An eclectic mix of stocks are making noise this weekend after closing the week with a bang. One stock is flying high after its company’s latest earnings results, one is getting a little help from its insiders to counter the sting of the company’s not-so-impressive earnings guidance, and one is being buoyed by solid reviews for its firm’s latest smartphone. Let’s dig into the news and see what it means for these three stocks.

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We’ll start with FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ:FEYE), which has rebounded slightly from the crushing blow it took on Thursday when it was one of the biggest losers of the day, shedding over 22% of its value. Shares bounced back by over 6% on Friday and are ahead slightly in weekend trading as well. The Friday rebound was partly fueled by insiders rushing out to buy shares on their weakness, expressing confidence in the state of their company’s affairs. CEO Dave DeWalt bought 22,500 FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ:FEYE) shares on Friday after previously holding none, while CFO Michael Berry bought 13,500 shares to lift his stake to 128,500 shares. The stock plummeted on Thursday following unexpectedly poor guidance being put forth by management for the full 2015 fiscal year. The dip came after the elite hedge funds monitored by Insider Monkey were losing some confidence in FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ:FEYE) during the second quarter, with ownership of the stock sliding by eight to 35. Investors in our database held just 5.50% of the company’s outstanding stock, the shares of which are now down by over 24% year-to-date.

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After gaining over 35% on Friday, shares of Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW) are ahead by more than 6% in weekend trading, pushing the stock to a post-Oprah high of $24.35. Shares have now gained over 250% since it was revealed last month that Oprah had taken a 10% stake in the weight management company. When including her option to purchase another 3.5 million Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW) shares at just $6.79, Oprah has made in excess of $150 million on the deal at this point. The latest gains come courtesy of the company’s own merits to some extent, as while revenue and income figures from its third quarter results released on Thursday afternoon represented huge year-over-year declines, they actually came in above estimates and allowed Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW) to raise its full-year guidance. Now with a new program and marketing campaign in the works, with the latter to be fronted by Oprah herself, investors are betting on a big turnaround for the company next year. Also yesterday, it was revealed in a filing with the SEC that billionaire Steve Cohen of Point72 Asset Management has taken a 6% stake of 3.97 million shares in Weight Watchers.

On the next page we’ll check in on BlackBerry, whose newest smartphone is garnering moderate praise.

Blackberry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)‘s newest smartphone is the Priv, and it’s the company’s first Android-based device. It’s also pulling in some solid reviews, although the somewhat hefty price tag is being seen as a likely detriment to its success. At about $700 unlocked for an Android device, which are typically known for being a more affordable alternative to Apple devices, and coming from a manufacturer that doesn’t exactly have a lot of positive momentum, the price could indeed be a major misstep. Regardless, Blackberry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is hailing the device as the most secure Android phone on the market, and reviews are praising it as one of the most stylish BlackBerry devices yet (while still retaining the Canadian company’s signature physical keyboard, which slides out when needed).

Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal wrote that the Priv is the first BlackBerry device in years that she’s liked using, and would recommend, declaring that it may not be too late for BlackBerry after all. Daniel Cooper of Engadget praised the phone’s looks and the fusion of BlackBerry and Android’s positive traits, but felt the price was a major detractor. Shares of Blackberry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) gained 5.53% on Friday thanks to the mostly solid reviews, and are up by nearly 1% in weekend trading. Elite investors in our database held 15.10% of BlackBerry’s shares on June 30, and will be hoping the firm’s move to using the Android OS will help breathe new life into its top and bottom lines. We’ll get a first glimpse of the results on December 18 when BlackBerry reports its third quarter results for fiscal year 2016, for the quarter ending November 28.

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