Nvidia stock rallies toward 6th-straight gain after SunTrust RH upgrade

Shares of Nvidia Corp. rallied 1% in premarket trade Wednesday, putting them on track for a sixth-straight gain, after the chip maker was upgraded at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, which cited continued upside earnings and revenue potential, particularly in the datacenter for artificial intelligence segment. Analyst William Stein raised his rating to buy after being at hold since he started covering the stock in September 2016. He boosted his price target to $177, which is 13.5% above Tuesday’s closing price of $155.88, from $124. Stein acknowledged that he is “not early” in turning bullish on the stock, but said he doesn’t think it’s too late. “While we have been keenly aware of [Nvidia’s] growth opportunities in the datacenter, gaming and automotive end markets in the year since we launched coverage, we’ve under-forecasted the growth potential in these markets,” Stein wrote in a note to clients. “We believe there are still aspects of the company we think are under-appreciated.” The stock had surged 12% over the past 5 sessions, to close Tuesday 2.5% below the June 8 record close of $159.94. The stock has nearly tripled over the past 12 months through Tuesday, while the PHLX Semiconductor Index has run up 50% and the S&P 500 has gained 13%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Fastenal shares jump 7.6% premarket after earnings beat

Shares of industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal Co. surged 7.6% Wednesday, after the company topped profit and revenue estimates for the second quarter. Winona, Mn.-based Fastenal said it had net income of $148.9 million, or 52 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $131.5 million, or 45 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales climbed 10.6% to $1.122 billion from $1.01 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 50 cents and sales of $1.11 billion. “The second quarter of 2017 felt more like Fastenal,” Chief Executive Dan Florness said in a statement. “We have grown well over the last year, but market headwinds have masked this growth.” The company signed 41,881 industrial vending machines in the quarter, up 0.3% from the year-earlier period. It signed 68 new onsite locations, up 54.5%. It had 486 active sites on June 30, up 45.9% from the year earlier. Shares had fallen 7.2% through Tuesday, while the S&P 500 has gained 8%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Cara Therapeutics shares surge 8.7% premarket on positive trial results

Shares of Cara Therapeutics Inc. surged 8.7% in premarket trade Wednesday, after the company reported positive results in an early-stage trial of a treatment for chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus patients, or CKD-aP. Pruritus, or itch, is a common symptom for patients with chronic renal failure, affecting about half of those with stage 3 to 5 CKD. Cara said results from the Phase 1 trial of Oral CR845 in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis showed all four tablet strengths were well-tolerated on a daily basis or after dialysis three times a week. CR845 is a peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor agonist currently in development for the treatment of acute and chronic pain and pruritus, said Cara. Plasma levels of CR845 attained after oral administration of the 1.0 mg tablet strength were close to those attained with the 1.0 mcg/kg I.V. CR845 dose, “which demonstrated significant clinical benefit” in another recent trial, the company said. Frédérique Menzaghi, Ph.D., vice president of research and development at Cara, said the data will inform the design of a planned Oral CR845 pruritus clinical program in the non-dialysis CKD-aP population, which the company is planning to start later this year. Cara shares have gained 35% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 8%.

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From:: Stock Market News

NRG Energy reveals transformation plan to cut costs, slash debt and divest assets

NRG Energy Inc. announced Wednesday a “transformation plan” aimed at cutting recurring costs by $1.1 billion, slashing debt obligations by $13 billion and completing assets sales worth up to $4.0 billion. The integrated power company said it plans to deploy up to $6.3 billion in excess cash through 2020, including $4 billion by end of 2018, in either projects or investments or shareholder return programs. As part of the plan, the company is targeting divesting 50% to 100% of its interest in NRG Yield and its leading renewables platform. NRG has engaged Citi, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley for certain asset sale processes, and expects to announce signed agreements during the fourth quarter of 2017. The stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has tumbled 13.0% over the past three months, while the SPDR Utilities Select Sector has slipped 0.8% and the S&P 500 has gained 3.4%.

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From:: Stock Market News

AL wins MLB All-Star Game, 2-1 in 10 innings

The American League beat the National League, 2-1 in 10 innings, in a lackluster MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Miami. Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners smacked the game-winning home run in the top of the 10th off Chicago Cubs reliever Wade Davis. Cano was also named the game’s MVP. The game, which lingered three hours and 15 minutes, featured more strikeouts (23) than hits (17) between the two teams. The AL has won five All-Star Games in a row, and 17 of the past 21. For the first time since 2003, the winning league will not get home-field advantage in the World Series. That rule was changed prior to this season, and the home-field advantage will go to the team with the best regular-season record.

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From:: Stock Market News

Mortgage Firms Hire Seasoned Executives

Among several recent hires at home-lending organizations are two executives with more than two decades in the mortgage business and two more with more than three decades’ experience.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Chad Patton has been hired as executive managing director-chief strategy officer at Home Point Financial Corp., a news release on Tuesday stated.

Patton has spent two decades in the business, with Nationstar Mortgage LLC being his most-recent employer. His new role will involve capital planning, business intelligence and strategic initiatives.


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From:: Financing

JPMorgan Chase and Finicity reach data-sharing agreement

For the third time this year, Finicity announced that it reached a data-sharing agreement with a financial giant. Following in the footsteps of Experian and Wells Fargo, Finicity announced that it reached an agreement with JPMorgan Chase that will allow the bank’s customers to share their data with third-party financial apps without having to reveal their login credentials. …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire

Ocular Therapeutix shares plummet after FDA pushes back on eye-drug approval

Shares of Ocular Therapeutix Inc. lost a quarter of their value in the extended session Tuesday after the Food and Drug Administration told the drug maker it could not approve a marketing application for an eye-pain drug in its current form. Ocular Therapeutix shares, which had been halted at $7.55, dropped 26% to $5.60 after hours, following a 17% gain during the regular session. Tuesday’s regular-session gain followed the company’s announcement late Monday that it had amended a marketing application for its drug Dextenza to address FDA concerns with its manufacturing process.

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From:: Stock Market News

Cohn reportedly front-runner to replace Yellen as Fed chief

National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn is the front-runner to replace Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen next year, Politico reported, citing unnamed people close to the process. Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs president, would be easily confirmed, the report said. Former Fed Gov. Kevin Warsh is also a candidate to be Fed chief, and like Cohn, doesn’t have a Ph.D. in economics. Yellen is due to testify to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and Thursday.

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From:: Stock Market News