PepsiCo’s stock slumps as results offset raised dividend, new $15 billion buyback program

Shares of PepsiCo Inc. shed 1.2% in premarket trade Tuesday, as the beverages and snack giant’s raised dividend and new buyback program offset fourth-quarter results that showed another decline in beverage and snack sales. Pepsi said it will increase its annual dividend 15% to $3.71 a share from $3.22 a share, starting with the dividend to be paid in June 2018. The company also announced a new $15 billion stock repurchase program, starting July 1, 2018 and expiring June 30, 2021, replacing the $12 billion program that started on July 1, 2015. Based on Monday’s closing price of $111.93, the new annual dividend rate implies a dividend yield 3.14%, compared with the current 3.37% yield for rival Coca-Cola Co. and the implied yield of 1.92% for the S&P 500 , according to FactSet. Also at Monday’s stock closing price, the new buyback program would allow the company to repurchase 9.4% of the shares outstanding. Pepsi shares have lost 1.9% over the past three months while the S&P 500 has gained 2.8%.

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Fitbit acquires coaching platform Twine Health

Fitbit Inc. announced Tuesday that it would be acquiring Twine Health, a health coaching platform that’s geared toward those with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. The company also seeks to help those who want to follow a weight loss or smoking cessation plan. Fitbit said that it expects the acquisition to help it “expand its offerings to health plans, health systems and self-insured employers, while creating opportunities to increase subscription-based revenue.” The company has been making a greater push into the health ecosystem through partnerships with insurer UnitedHealthcare, among others. The company has been especially focused on finding ways for its devices to be used for diabetes management. Fitbit shares are down 1.9% in premarket trading Tuesday, while the stock is down 9.6% over the past 12 months. The S&P 500 Index has gained 14% in that time.

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Teva shares drop 3% after rival generic product approved and launched

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. shares dropped 3% in premarket trade Tuesday after Novartis AG’s Sandoz announced that the 40 mg dose of Glatopa, its generic for Teva’s popular multiple sclerosis medication Copaxone, has been approved and launched in the U.S. Glatopa was developed through a collaboration between Novartis and Momenta Pharmaceuticals , and the 20 mg dose was made available in mid-2015. Momenta shares surged 6.8% in premarket trade. The 40 mg dose was approved about six weeks earlier than expected, said Leerink Partners analyst Ami Fadia, noting that Teva expected a launch as early as April. Teva shares have surged 64% over the last three months, while Novartis shares have risen 1.6% and Momenta shares have surged 26.4%, compared with a 2.8% rise in the S&P 500 .

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JetBlue load factor falls, as capacity increases while traffic declines

JetBlue Airways Corp. said Tuesday that January load factor declined to 81.9% from 83.3% a year ago, as a capacity rose slightly while traffic declined. Capacity increased 0.1% to 4.64 billion available seat miles, while traffic fell 1.7% to 3.80 billion revenue passenger miles. The number of revenue passengers fell 4.0% to 3.16 million, while departures declined 2.5% to 28,596. The stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has rallied 4.9% over the past three months, while the NYSE Arca Airline Index has surged 9.7% and the S&P 500 has gained 2.8%.

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Barnes & Noble to book $11 million charge in Q3 after eliminating store positions

Barnes & Noble Inc. said Tuesday it expects to book a charge of about $11 million in fiscal third quarter after implementing a new staffing model that has led to the elimination of store positions. The company made the disclosure in a regulatory filing without specifying how many positions were cut. The bookstore chain said it expects the job cuts to save about $40 million a year. “The new model will allow stores to adjust staff up or down based on the needs of the business, increase store productivity and streamline store operations,” the company said in a statement. Shares rose 1.1% premarket, but have fallen 56% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 14%.

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Broadcom says it will seek to elect six, not 11, nominees to Qualcomm’s board

Broadcom Ltd. said Tuesday that it would seek to elect six members to Qualcomm Inc.’s board, rather than the 11 members it had originally planned. Broadcom has made an $82/share hostile bid for Qualcomm. If Broadcom’s slate were to be elected, the company said it would have a majority on the Qualcomm board. Qualcomm investors “have welcomed our willingness to provide for appropriate continuity on the Qualcomm board, and have also expressed a desire for a definitive mechanism of achieving such continuity,” Broadcom CEO Hock Tan said in a release. “Reducing the number of nominees we are seeking to a simple majority provides precisely that mechanism.” Qualcomm’s annual meeting is scheduled for March 6. Broadcom shares are up 18% over the past 12 months, while Qualcomm shares are up 20%. The S&P 500 Index has gained 14% in that time, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is up 32%.

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Walgreens takeover of Amerisource would boost earnings, but rationale puzzling: Jefferies

A takeover of drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp. by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. would boost Walgreen’s per-share earnings, but would be a headscratcher for investors, Jefferies analysts wrote Tuesday. Walgreens recently approached Amerisource CEO Steven Collis with a view to buying the stake in the company it does not already own, as The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday. Walgreens owns a 26% stake in the company. “While we see strategic value in joining forces with a leading drug distributor such as ABC, we believe WBA has already pursued this opportunity when it formed the WBAD purchasing consortium with ABC and acquired its minority stake in the company,” Jefferies analysts wrote in a note. “WBA has been openly discussing their intention of continuing to pursue vertical-integration deal opportunities, but acquiring the rest of ABC, while financially-rational, begs the question on what incremental strategic value the deal would bring, especially in light of recent moves by CVS and AET and even ESRX buying eviCore.” A deal would however help Walgreens expand in the U.S. and reduce its reliance on the UK’s Boots chain, at a time when the UK market is facing reimbursement and macro pressures, they wrote. Walgreens shares were down 1.7% premarket, while Amerisource was up 13%. S&P 500 futures were down 0.4%.

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Blue Apron shares surge after revenue beats expectations

Blue Apron Holdings Inc. shares jumped 7.5% in Tuesday premarket trading after it reported fourth-quarter losses that weren’t as deep as expected and revenue that beat expectations. The meal delivery service reported a loss of $39.1 million, or 20 cents per share, compared with a loss of $26.1 million, or 39 cents per share for the same period last year. Revenue fell 13% to $187.7 million, down from $215.9 million last year. The FactSet consensus was for a loss of 27 cents and revenue of $185.0 million. Marketing expenses fell to $25.2 million from $37.1 million as the company’s “top priority remains continuing to drive operational efficiencies,” Chief Executive Brad Dickerson said in a statement. Customers fell 15% year-over-year, also reflecting a cut in marketing spend. Blue Apron shares are up 9.5% for the last three months, but down nearly 17% for the year-to-date. The S&P 500 index is down 0.7% for the year so far.

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Eli Lilly’s Taltz meets primary endpoint in late-state trial for AS treatment

Eli Lilly & Co. said Tuesday that a phase 3 safety and efficacy study of Taltz for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) met the primary and all key secondary endpoints. Eli Lilly said it plans to submit data for regulatory approval, pending additional data from the ongoing Taltz development program. Taltz is currently approved for treatment of psoriatic arthritis in adults, and to treat adults with moderate-to-severs plaque psoriasis. Eli Lilly’s stock, which is still inactive in premarket trade, has shed 8.0% over the past three months, while the SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF has gained 1.1% and the S&P 500 has tacked on 2.8%.

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Blue Apron shares spike after revenue beats expectations

Blur Apron Holdings Inc. shares jumped 7.5% in Tuesday premarket trading after it reported fourth-quarter losses that weren’t as deep as expected and revenue that beat expectations. The meal delivery service reported a loss of $39.1 million, or 20 cents per share, compared with a loss of $26.1 million, or 39 cents per share for the same period last year. Revenue fell 13% to $187.7 million, down from $215.9 million last year. The FactSet consensus was for a loss of 27 cents and revenue of $185.0 million. Marketing expenses fell to $25.2 million from $37.1 million as the company’s “top priority remains continuing to drive operational efficiencies,” Chief Executive Brad Dickerson said in a statement. Customers fell 15% year-over-year, also reflecting a cut in marketing spend. Blue Apron shares are up 9.5% for the last three months, but down nearly 17% for the year-to-date. The S&P 500 index is down 0.7% for the year so far.

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