5 of Last Week's Biggest Winners
What's better than momentum? Mo' momentum.
Let's take a closer look at five of this past week's biggest scorchers.
Company | Feb. 24 | Weekly Gain | My Watchlist |
|---|---|---|---|
VIVUS (NAS: VVUS) | $22.13 | 85% | |
Noah Holdings (NAS: NOAH) | $8.00 | 30% | |
Samson Oil & Gas (ASE: SSN) | $3.01 | 26% | |
Sears Holdings (NAS: SHLD) | $68.31 | 25% | |
Sourcefire (NAS: FIRE) | $44.62 | 25% |
Source: Barron's.
VIVUS was last week's biggest winner, soaring 85% after the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel reviewing the company's obesity drug voted by an overwhelming 20-2 margin in favor of recommending the treatment. Qnexa's side effects -- largely heart issues and the risk of birth defects if taken by pregnant women -- are ultimately believed to be manageable risks.
Noah Holdings, a provider of wealth management services in China, popped after receiving a mutual fund distribution license. This will be nice to have as China's economy continues to grow and its upper and middle classes expand.
There was no company-specific news fueling the rise at Samson Oil & Gas, but oil hitting a nine-month high -- with seasonal increases likely to follow -- surely helped move the volatile Australian oil and gas explorer with stateside interests higher.
Sears posted uninspiring quarterly results, but investors cheered for the struggling retailer behind the Kmart and Sears chains after it announced that it will sell 11 stores and unload some of its smaller retail concepts.
Finally, Sourcefire had a strong week after the network security software specialist delivered better-than-expected quarterly results.
More winners for you
It was a great week for these five stocks. If you want to get an early read on some of tomorrow's major gainers, there's a special report on three hidden winners in a booming industry. The report is free -- like this article -- but it won't be around forever, so check it out now.
At the time thisarticle was published Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz calls them as he sees them. He does not own shares in any of the stocks in this story. Rick is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.
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