Tesla Speeds Into List of Top Stocks
Editors Note: The list of top stocks is derived from the quote pages that received the most views on Yahoo! Finance by examining data for the current week. It is not, however, a list of the most searched-for tickers or company names on our site.
1. Apple (AAPL)
With little real news coming out from Apple this week, the rumor mill — as it so often does — kicked into high gear. This time, chatter of the introduction of a cheaper iPhone swirled after Reuters reported that an overseas Apple supplier planned to boost its workforce by up to 40% this year.
“If [Apple] wants to compete in China, India, Brazil — places where $600 for a phone is just inconceivable especially without subsidies — They’ve got to have a cheaper phone,” noted The Daily Ticker’s Henry Blodget.
Apple captured 57% of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, down from 74% a year earlier. Samsung grabbed a 43% share, up from 23% from a year ago, according to data from investment bank Canaacord Genuity.
The rumors did little overall for the stock this week. Shares are up 1.5% over the past five full trading days, closing at $456.77 on Thursday. Shares are down 16.8% for the year to date.
2. Bank of America (BAC)
Bank of America hosted its shareholder meeting this week but the big news came on Monday when it settled another in a long list of legacy issues.
The company settled a legal dispute with MBIA that has been ongoing for five years. The bank agreed to pay some $1.6 billion in cash and $137 million in debt to help put yet another remnant of its 2008 Countrywide Financial takeover behind it.
The settlement news gave shares a nice bump over the past five full trading days, up 5.4% to close at $12.91 on Thursday. Shares are up 7.3% for the year to date.
3. Tesla Motors (TSLA)
It was a good week for electric car maker Tesla.
Following the closing bell on Wednesday, the company reported its first quarterly profit since going into business a decade ago. It sold approximately 5,000 of its Model S electric cars during the first three months of the year and anticipates selling 21,000 for the year.
The next morning Tesla received one of the best accolades it could hope for when Consumer Reports gave the Model S a rating of 99 out of 100, making it the best car they’ve tested since 2007.
“What Tesla has accomplished over the past decade is extraordinary,” noted The Daily Ticker’s Henry Blodget. "It remains to be seen whether the company can now 'cross the chasm' from wealthy buyers who can afford the cars and don't mind their limitations to mass-market drivers who can rely on electric power for their primary, affordable family car. But so far, Tesla is a great American success story, and everyone should be rooting for it.”
The deluge of good news sent shares soaring to a record high on Thursday. Shares have risen 27.2% over the past five full trading days, reaching an intraday high of $75.77 on Thursday and closing at $69.40. Shares have reached as high as $81 so far on Friday and are up 96.3% for the year to date.
4. MagicJack VocalTec (CALL)
Internet phone company MagicJack announced earnings on Thursday. While revenue declined slightly, earnings rose to $9.6 million, or 51 cents per share, compared with earnings of $8.2 million, or 39 cents, in the same period a year ago.
The company also announced the appointment of Jose Gordo as the company’s new chief financial officer, replacing Peter Russo.
Shares have risen 12.8% over the past five full trading days, closing at $19.24 on Thursday. Shares are up 3.7% for the year to date.
5. Facebook (FB)
There was a mix of good and bad news for Facebook shareholders this week. Reports surfaced that the company is in discussions to acquire Waze, a leading map service, for as much as $1 billion.
The company also announced on Thursday that its Home application has been downloaded nearly 1 million times in its first month. However, AT&T has already decided to slash the price on the HTC First phone – the so-called Facebook phone that featured Home – from $99.99 to just 99 cents.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg also found himself taking fire for a political misstep this week.
FWD.us, the nonprofit group he founded along with other tech leaders such as Google’s (GOOG) Eric Schmidt, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Bill Gates and LinkedIn’s (LNKD) Reid Hoffman to promote comprehensive immigration reform, has been running ads supporting the Keystone Pipeline, oil drilling in the Artic and opposing Obamacare.
Shares have fallen 4.5% over the past five full trading days, closing at $27.04 on Thursday. Shares are down 3.4% for the year to date.
