Last Week's Biggest Stock Movers

Updated
Financial Markets Wall Street
Richard Drew/AP

Plenty of stocks go up and down in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets.

Let's go over some of last week's best and worst performers.

Green Dot (GDOT) -- Up 31 percent last week

The biggest gainer on the New York Stock Exchange was Green Dot. The provider of prepaid debit cards announced that it has entered a new five-year deal with Walmart (WMT) to continue managing its MoneyCard program. Walmart's a pretty big deal for Green Dot, accounting for nearly a third of its revenue. The new term eliminates some uncertainty with Green Dot.

Winnebago Industries (WGO) -- Up 23 percent last week

%VIRTUAL-WSSCourseInline-825%Shares of the RV-maker drove north after Winnebago posted better-than-expected results. Winnebago saw its sales climb nearly 8 percent compared to the prior year's quarter, just ahead of the 6 percent increase that analysts were targeting. Earnings inched higher. Wall Street was holding out for a small drop.

This seems to be a good time to be making homes on wheels. The economy's showing signs of life, and gas is cheap.

Mindbody (MB) -- Up 20 percent last week

Redemption can sometimes happen pretty fast for a broken IPO. Mindbody went public a week earlier at $14, but the market didn't warm up to the provider of cloud-based management solutions for the wellness and fitness industry right away, sending the stock 17 percent lower.

It was a different tune this week with sentiment reversing to make up ground it had lost a week earlier. Mindbody has a thick Rolodex of more than 42,000 fitness centers and yoga studios that lean on the market debutante to help with its software solutions. It is losing money, but it's growing quickly. Revenue soared 44 percent last year.

Transition Therapeutics (TTHI) -- Down 72 percent last week

The market's biggest loser last week was Transition Therapeutics, shedding nearly three-quarters of its value after disappointing clinical results on its once-promising Alzheimer's treatment. The neuropsychiatric drug candidate wasn't any different than the placebo in reducing agitation and aggression. Transition is going to have to evaluate the data a bit closer before determining if it will continue to develop the treatment, but the market's apparently bracing for the worst.

World Acceptance (WRLD) -- Down 24 percent last week

An analyst downgrade rained on the prospects of World Acceptance. FBR Capital's Bob Ramsey slashed his price target on the provider of small consumer loans from $98 to $73. He's also lowering his firm's rating on the stock from Outperform to Market Perform.

Ramsey's concerned that an amendment to its revolving credit facility will sting its bottom-line results by increasing the cost of its debt and restricting buybacks. The regulatory and funding concerns find the analyst cooling on his once-bullish stance on World Acceptance.

Noodles & Co. (NDLS) -- Down 12 percent last week

Finally we have pasta shop Noodles & Co. slipping after a key executive moved on. President and COO Keith Kinsey will be stepping down this week on Wednesday. He's going to be CEO of hot dog chain Portillo's.

Given the struggles at the fast-casual chain, it's probably not a surprise to see an exec move on. The move still sends a bad signal to investors. If the COO is bailing on the company, why should they stick around?

Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Winnebago Industries. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. Check out our free report on one great stock to buy for 2015 and beyond.

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