Thinknum | Oct 11, 2019 02:51AM ET
Weight Watchers (NASDAQ:WW) - better known simply as WW these days - used to just help people get slimmer. Now, it is aiming to help them get better.
Years into getting backing and branding partnership from none other than Oprah Winfrey, Weight Watchers has seen shares hit hard in 2019 - and the stock is down 13% year-to-date. But it just posted a big rebound and its CEO is bullish on the 4.6 million members WW has, plus its growing digital prowess.
App engagement for Weight Watchers has been excellent on multiple levels. For one, its app rating (not shown) is 4.8 in the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) ($NASDAQ:AAPL ) App Store, and it has also packed on 15% more reviews in the time since the second half of the year kicked off. And, WW's leadership knows it.
"We're actually a technology experience company with a human-centric overlay, CEO Mindy Grossman said at the Yahoo (NASDAQ:AABA) All Markets Summit in New York on Thursday October 10. "Next year, we'll be adding virtual group coaching... it's a competitive advantage."
The map above helps track Weight Watchers locations - although its growing digital presence is what has had analysts optimistic after a down first quarter. You can pinch-and-zoom through the map to better highlight locations.
Grossman runs the show, but Oprah's investment and arrival from a branding perspective has been a boon for Weight Watchers. Oprah first bought in near the very bottom for Weight Watchers stock, picking up a position in 2015 , which soon generated substantial returns. But Weight Watchers' engagement has typically been seasonal, and sometimes it hasn't been able to meet expectations.
The stock was hit, in 2018, when a report remain .
Finally, one thing investors can take solace in with Weight Watchers - between its ability to draw app ratings, its ability to keep those ratings high and our final chart - which tracks how much engagement Weight Watchers gets from people talking about its products and services on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), it looks like the company continues to have staying power for consumers.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.