Category: Stock Market News

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. rallied 1.1% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the fast casual Mexican restaurant chain was upgraded at Maxim Group, which cited optimism over the introduction of queso and valuation. Analyst Stephen Anderson raised his rating to buy from hold and raised his stock price target to $470, which is 20% above Monday’s closing price of $392.00, from $440. Anderson has now swung to bullish from bearish (sell) on Chipotle in seven months. The upgrade comes a week before Chipotle reports second-quarter results. “We contend the introduction of queso–a Mexican cheese dip–which is now in test, will be an important catalyst for [Chipotle] in 2018,” Anderson wrote in a note to clients. “We now argue the recent pullback in [Chipotle] shares, along with the potential for upside from queso, provide an opportunity for investors to participate in [Chipotle’s] recovery.” The stock has tumbled 16% over the past three months to close Monday at a 6 1/2-month low, while the S&P 500 has climbed 5.0%.

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Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s stock fell 1% in premarket trade Tuesday, and could be to blame for the early decline in Dow industrials futures. The stock’s price decline of $2.20 in the wake of second-quarter results would shave about 15 points of the price of the Dow Jones Industrial Average . E-mini Dow futures were recently down 13 points.

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Shares of Annaly Capital Management Inc. tumbled 4.4% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the company announced a large public offering. Volume topped 4 million shares about 90 minutes before the open, making the stock the most actively traded in the premarket. Annaly, which invests in and finances residential and commercial assets, said late Monday it plans to sell 60 million shares of common stock, and grant the underwriters of the offering options to buy up to an additional 9 million shares. If the all the options are exercised, the number of shares outstanding would increase by about 6.8%. Annaly plans to use to proceeds from the offering to buy assets under its capital allocation policy and for general corporate purposes. The stock had run up 23% year to date through Monday, while the S&P 500 had gained 9.8%.

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Imax Corp. , Imax China Holding Inc. and Shanghai Bestar Cinemas Management Co. Ltd. said Tuesday they have reached agreement for seven new Imax theaters to be opened across China. The new theaters will be located in multiplexes in Tier Two and Tier Three cities, with six to be opened this year and rest in 2019. Imax shares were not active premarket, but have fallen 35% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 10%.

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Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Tuesday reported net income of $7.89 billion in the second quarter, down 0.6% compared to a year ago, or $3.95 a share. That easily beat the Factset consensus of $3.38 per share. Net revenues in fixed income, currencies and commodities were 40% lower compared to a year ago, in a quarter marked by low volatility and sluggish activity, the firm said. Investment banking was 3% lower than in the year-ago period. But investing and lending activity surged 42% for the year. Shares fell in pre-market trading. The stock has lost about 4% in the year to date, even as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average have gained nearly 10%.

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Shares of Lockheed Martin Corp. rallied 2.3% in premarket trade Tuesday toward a record high, after the aerospace and defense contractor reported second-quarter results that beat expectations and raised its full-year outlook. Net profit fell to $942 million, or $3.23 a share, from $1.02 billion, or $3.32 a share, in the same period a year ago. Earnings per share from continuing operations was $3.23, above the FactSet consensus of $3.11. Revenue rose to $12.69 billion from $11.58 billion, topping the FactSet consensus of $12.43 billion, as beats by the aeronautics, rotary and mission systems and space systems segments offset a miss in the missiles and fire control business. For 2017, the company raised its EPS outlook to $12.30 to $12.60 from $12.15 to $12.45 and lifted its revenue outlook to $49.8 billion to $51.0 billion from $49.5 billion to $50.7 billion. The stock has rallied 15.4% year to date through Monday, while the SPDR Industrial Select Sector ETF has climbed 11.5% and the S&P 500 has gained 9.8%.

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Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. erased earlier premarket gains to trade down 0.5% Tuesday, after the health care coverage giant reported second-quarter profit that beat expectations while sales were in line. Net profit increased to $2.28 billion, or $2.32 a share, from $1.75 billion, or $1.81 a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, adjusted earnings per share came to $2.46, above the FactSet consensus of $2.38. Revenue rose to $50.05 billion from $46.49 billion, compared with the FactSet consensus of $50.03 billion. Premium revenue rose to $39.6 billion from $36.4 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $39.4 billion, while products revenue fell to $6.4 billion from $6.6 billion, missing the FactSet consensus of $6.7 billion. Services revenue of $3.8 billion, up from $3.3 billion a year ago, topped expectations of $3.7 billion. For 2017, the company raised its adjusted EPS outlook to $9.75 to $9.90 from $9.65 to $9.85. The stock has rallied 16.4% year to date through Monday, while the SPDR Health Care Select Sector ETF has climbed 15.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 9.5%.

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The pace of U.K. inflation eased unexpectedly in June, a data release Tuesday from the Office of National Statistics showed. The Consumer Prices Index was 2.6%, compared with an expected reading of 2.8% and a level of 2.9% in May. The slowing in inflation was driven by a drop in prices for motor fuels and certain recreational and cultural items, the ONS said. Consumer inflation with owner-occupiers’ housing costs factored in was also at 2.6% in June, the first drop in the CPIH rate since April 2016. The British pound fell to $1.3029 after the inflation release, after hitting an intraday high of $1.3107 earlier in the session.

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The U.S. dollar dropped against major rivals Tuesday, with selling picking up after Republican leaders in the Senate late Monday ditched their effort to repeal and simultaneously replace much of the Affordable Care Act. Senate lawmakers will instead vote in the coming days on a bill to unravel most of the ACA, popularly known as “Obamacare,” and look likely to leave any replacement to a later date. The ICE Dollar Index was down 0.4% at 94.75, driving down to levels not seen since last September. “It seems markets are losing confidence that President Trump will be able to deliver on his promised plans,” said FXTM chief market strategist Hussein Sayed, in a note. “With tax reforms now likely to face huge uncertainties and economic data signaling slowing economy, it will only be a matter of time before U.S. corporate earnings take a U-turn, thus ending the equities rally.”

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Puma Biotechnology Inc. jumped as much as 11.5% in late trading Monday after the company announced that the Food and Drug Administration had approved a breast-cancer treatment for medical use. The medicine, which will be marketed as Nerlynx and is expected to hit the market in September, is used after traditional treatment to avoid recurrence of HER2 breast cancer. Puma said up to one in four patients experience recurrence after treatment, but studies of its drug showed a 34% reduction in recurrence. “HER2-positive breast cancers are aggressive tumors and can spread to other parts of the body, making adjuvant therapy an important part of the treatment plan,” Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence, said in the FDA’s announcement. “Now, these patients have an option after initial treatment that may help keep the cancer from coming back.” Puma shares moved as high as $96 in late trading after closing at $86.10, though prices settled at closer to $92 later in the after-hours session. The stock enjoyed a larger surge after an FDA panel recommended its approval in May, and has gained more than 117% in the past three months, as the S&P 500 index has gained less than 5%.

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