Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives for a U.S. Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13, 2023.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.
Tesla — Stock in the electric vehicle company added more than 2% in midday trading Friday. Canaccord Genuity reiterated a buy rating on the EV stock on Thursday ahead of vehicle deliveries data. Elsewhere, Citi remained neutral on Tesla and reduced its vehicle delivery forecast to 450,000 from 468,500. Last week, Barclays forecast a delivery target miss.
Anheuser-Busch InBev — U.S.-listed shares of the beer stock climbed 3.6% following an upgrade to buy from neutral, with the firm highlighting an inflection point for margins and a more innovative portfolio strategy.
Carnival — Shares of the cruise operator slid 7% in midday trading. Carnival forecast a loss of 10 cents to 18 cents per share for the fiscal fourth quarter, while analysts polled by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv, anticipated a loss of 10 cents per share. Separately, Carnival posted adjusted earnings of 86 cents per share on revenue of $6.85 billion for the fiscal third quarter, beating earnings estimates of 75 cents per share and $6.69 billion in revenue. Competitor Norwegian Cruise Line also slipped 3%.
Blue Apron — Shares surged nearly 134% after the meal kit company announced it reached an agreement to be bought by Wonder Group for $13 per share. That’s about a 137% premium to Blue Apron’s closing price of $5.49 per share on Thursday.
Nvidia — Shares of the chipmaker ticked up 1.5%. Citi wrote in a Friday note that the company’s forthcoming iteration of its Blackwell B100 GPU would serve as a “major stock catalyst” heading into the first half of 2024, and also drive margins and sales. The firm reiterated a buy rating on Nvidia stock.
Nike — Shares of the sneaker giant jumped 6.3% after a mixed fiscal first-quarter report. Late Thursday, the company reported earnings of 94 cents per share and $12.94 billion in revenue, while analysts polled by LSEG forecast 75 cents per share and $12.98 million in revenue. Nike also reiterated midsingle-digit full-year revenue growth guidance.
Walgreens — Shares of the pharmacy giant jumped more than 6%. Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported Walgreens is weighing Tim Wentworth, a former Cigna executive, as its next CEO. Roz Brewer stepped down from her post as Walgreens CEO as of the end of August.
Bumble — The online dating platform added 3.6% after Loop Capital Markets upgraded the stock to buy from hold. The firm said the stock is “de-risked” while Bumble’s strong cash balance and free cash flow generation will help protect its balance sheet.
Brinker International — The Chili’s parent advanced nearly 4% following a Stifel upgrade to buy from hold. The firm said Brinker’s strategic playbook appears similar to those of other chains that have experienced successful turnarounds.
Corcept Therapeutics — Shares slumped 18% in midday trading as the firm contends with ongoing litigation against Teva Pharmaceuticals. The conflict centers on Corcept’s Cushing syndrome drug Korlym, and Teva has sought to cancel Corcept’s patent over the treatment.
Texas Roadhouse — Stock in the restaurant chain gained roughly 2% on the heels of an upgrade to buy from Northcoast Research, with the firm highlighting a steady flow of customer traffic to stores.
— CNBC’s Pia Singh, Alex Harring, Michelle Fox, Hakyung Kim and Darla Mercado contributed reporting.
