Despite having more winners (12) than losers (nine) in October, the Publishers Weekly Stock Index fell 2.0% in the month as several companies suffered steep declines in their stock prices. LeapFrog had the sharpest drop in the month with its stock price plunging nearly 40% due to a combination of a disappointing third quarter and reduced forecast for the full year (see this page). A soft third quarter drove down the stock price of Educational Development Corp. And while Amazon.com reported strong quarterly gains, its outlook disappointed investors. Among the winners, McGraw-Hill's third-quarter results exceeded expectations and its stock closed at a 52-week high. A solid third quarter and bullish outlook at Marvel contributed to a 5.7% gain in its stock price in October.
| COMPANY | SEPTEMBER 30 | OCTOBER 29 | % CHANGE |
| Source: Reed Business Information | |||
| Winners | |||
| Thomas Nelson | 19.50 | 22.14 | 13.5% |
| McGraw-Hill Cos. | 79.69 | 86.25 | 8.2 |
| Marvel Enterprises | 14.56 | 15.40 | 5.7 |
| Courier Corp. | 41.92 | 43.50 | 3.7 |
| Banta Corp. | 39.75 | 40.68 | 2.3 |
| Losers | |||
| LeapFrog | 20.25 | 12.20 | -39.7% |
| Educational Dev. Corp. | 12.77 | 10.45 | -18.2 |
| Amazon.com | 40.86 | 34.13 | -16.5 |
| Barnes & Noble | 37.00 | 33.27 | -10.1 |
| Borders Group | 24.80 | 22.79 | -8.1 |
| Publishers Weekly | |||
| Stock Index | 516.80 | 506.65 | -2.0% |
| Dow Jones Average | 10,080.27 | 10,027.47 | -0.5% |
