It’s easy being green. The major indices made big gains Thursday, with the three major indices each ending up 2.1%.
Here are Thursday’s winner and losers:
Winners
Lennar Corp. (LEN)
The homebuilder bucked a second-quarter loss with a massive upswing in orders. LEN shares responded positively, soaring $9.19, or 17.5%, to $1.37.
SLM Corp. (SLM)
The student-loan provider gained 10.4% on the back of a JP Morgan upgrade. SLM ended Thursday up 87 cents at $9.20.
Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY)
The retailer carried Wednesday’s afterhours earnings release into Thursday’s session, as shares surged 9.5%. BBBY finished trading at $31.08, a gain of $2.69.
Cameron International Corp. (CAM)
Cameron International saw its stock gain 8.6% after Goldman Sachs issued an upgrade on the oil equipment provider. CAM ended the session at $29.02, a gain of $2.30 on the day.
KB Home (KBH)
KB Home rode the rally started by fellow homebuilder Lennar, with shares gaining $1.13, or 8.3%, to close Thursday’s session at $14.77.
Losers
Paychex Inc. (PAYX)
Poor quarterly earnings dropped shares of the payroll processing company 6.2% on Thursday. PAYX fell$1.65 to $25.06.
ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG)
A 13% drop in profit in the fourth quarter cost the stock 4.2% on Thursday. CAG shares sank 85 cents to settle at $19.18.
SUPERVALU Inc. (SVU)
The discount grocer fell for the second day, with shares losing 52 cents, or 3.7%, to settle at $13.29.
Nike Inc. (NKE)
A downgrade by Susquehanna Financial cost Nike’s stock 3.3% on Thursday. Shares of the shoe manufacturer fell $1.74 to $51.28.
Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP)
The outsourcing processor got hit hard Thursday as Barclays issued a lower forecast for the company’s earnings estimates through 2010. ADP closed at $34.61, a loss of 82 cents, or 2.3%.