Industry Stocks: April 2018 Performances

Although the stock market went through some wild gyrations in April, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the month only 2.5% higher than the start of April. The Publishers Weekly Stock Index had a similar modest performance, with the PWSI up 1.1%. The biggest surprise was the rebound of the share price of Barnes & Noble, whose shares have been hammered by the lack of growth. In April, however, B&N’s share price rose 12.1%, the biggest gain among the 11 companies on the PWSI. Educational Development Corp.’s stock has been a high flyer in recent months. From a low of $6.90 per share, its 52-week high has been $27.93; in April its share price fell back 3.4%. Due to its outsize presence, we don’t include Amazon on the PWSI anymore but do keep an eye on how its stock is performing. Late in April, Amazon said it had another blockbuster quarter and its share price ended the month up 8.2% over its price on March 29. The company’s share price was $1,566.13 on April 30.