April was a relatively quiet month for the Publishers Weekly Stock Index, with the PWSI falling 1.8%, compared to a 1.3% decline for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Stock prices fell for seven companies on the PWSI and rose for 14, although the gain at five companies in April was 1% or less. Hastings had the biggest gain in the month, with its stock price up 16.0%, due in part to a positive forecast for the new fiscal year. LeapFrog managed to end its stock slide and posted an 11.2% increase in April. Books-A-Million had the biggest loss in the month, with its stock price down 13.1%, nearly reversing the 14.1% increase it recorded in March. Failure to hit its second-quarter numbers contributed to a 9.2% decline in the stock price of Courier Corp.
| COMPANY | MARCH 31 | APRIL 30 | % CHANGE |
| Winners | |||
| Hastings Entertainment | 5.69 | 6.60 | 16.0% |
| LeapFrog | 19.35 | 21.51 | 11.2 |
| Reed | 35.50 | 37.70 | 6.2 |
| Scholastic | 27.25 | 28.36 | 4.1 |
| McGraw-Hill | 76.14 | 78.86 | 3.6 |
| Losers | |||
| Books-A-Million | 6.40 | 5.56 | -13.1% |
| Courier Corp. | 44.89 | 40.75 | -9.2 |
| Barnes & Noble | 32.60 | 29.87 | -8.4 |
| Thomas Nelson | 27.22 | 26.16 | -3.9 |
| Banta Corp. | 46.29 | 44.48 | -3.9 |
| Publishers Weekly | |||
| Stock Index | 526.83 | 517.16 | -1.8% |
| Dow Jones Average | 10,357.70 | 10,225.57 | -1.3% |
Source: Reed Business Information | |||
