3 Predictions for Next Week: Sodastream International Ltd (SODA) and More

I went out on a limb last week, and now it’s time to see how that decision played out.

1). I predicted that Sodastream International Ltd (NASDAQ:SODA) would close out the week higher. The company behind the popular beverage system that turns flat water into sparkling soft drinks was set to report its quarterly results, and SodaStream has historically served up market-thumping results. It was a solid report, but the market wasn’t impressed after the stock’s healthy gains leading up to report. Shares of SodaStream slipped on the week. I was wrong.

2). I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? After seven weeks of stock gains, some of the major exchanges were finally mortal this time. The Nasdaq closed 0.9% lower. The Dow, on the other hand, managed to clock in with a slight gain of 0.1% on the week. I was wrong.

3). My final call was for Yandex NV (NASDAQ:YNDX) to beat Wall Street’s quarterly profit target. The leading search engine in Russia has been growing quickly, blowing through Wall Street’s bottom-line forecasts with ease over the past year. Analysts were looking for a profit of 8.65 Russian rubles, and the dot-com speedster came through with net income of 8.82 a share. I was right.

One out of three? I can do better than that.

Let me once again whip out my trusty, dusty, and occasionally accurate crystal ball to make three calls that may play out over the next few trading days.

1.Sturm, Ruger will shoot higher on the week
Sturm, Ruger & Company (NYSE:RGR) reports its latest quarterly results on Wednesday, and a strong showing is practically a given. No matter where you stand on the gun control debate, it’s clear that there’s a run on firearms these days. Gun owners don’t want to be left empty-handed if gun restrictions dramatically tighten.

Sturm, Ruger has also been blasting through analyst estimates with ease in recent quarters, so it’s not as if an upward move would really be much of a surprise anyway.

There will naturally be long-term concerns for all firearm makers. The ramifications of the very topic being put up for debate are real. However, it’s hard to get in the way of a rallying stock when it’s likely to deliver good news in a few days. My first call is for Sturm, Ruger to close the week higher.

2.The Nasdaq Composite will beat the Dow this week
Tech has been a big winner in recent years, so betting on tech over stodgy blue chips has been a good bet for me more often than not.

I’m going to stick with this pick. Most of the names in the composite are just too cheap at this point, and the results this earnings season weren’t as bad as some worrywarts had feared. The market is ripe for the tech-stacked secondary stocks to continue to outpace the 30 megacaps that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average.