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Community Health Systems Inc.’s stock plunged 28% in active morning trade Monday, putting it on course to close at a six-year low, after the hospital operator swung to a surprise fourth-quarter loss on revenue that fell well short of expectations. Volume just 15 minutes after the opening bell was about 4.5 million shares, already above the full-day average of about 3.8 million shares, according to FactSet. The company reported before the open a fourth-quarter loss of $74 million, or 66 cents a share, compared with a profit of $129 million, or $1.12 a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, such as expenses related to a legal settlement and to the planned spinoff of Quorum Health, the per-share loss was 28 cents, compared with the FactSet consensus for a profit of 95 cents a share. Revenue fell 2.4% to $4.8 billion, compared with the FactSet consensus for a 1.3% increase to $4.98 billion. Chief Executive Wayne Smith said the quarter was negatively affected by volume weakness and higher emergency room visits and admissions attributed to respiratory illness and the flu. An increase in allowances for doubtful accounts also hurt results, Smith said. The stock has plunged 49% year to date, while the S&P 500 has slipped 7.7%.

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U.S. stocks opened higher Tuesday as crude oil prices stabilized following an announcement that several major producers would freeze production. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to 1,876; the Dow industrials rose 0.6% to 16,090; the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.4% to 4,400. Oil prices moved higher, supporting battered energy shares, after Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela said they wouldn’t increase output above January’s levels as long as other major producers follow.

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Apple Inc. filed on Tuesday to sell notes, with a series of maturities from 2018 through 2046, to raise money for purposes including share repurchases, dividend payments and acquisitions. The amounts of the notes being offered, and the interest rates, were not yet determined. The offering would include floating rate notes with maturities due 2018 and 2019, and fixed rate notes with maturities starting in 2018 through 2046. Apple’s stock, which climbed 1.2% in premarket trade, has tumbled 18% over the past three months through Friday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 8.6%.

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Groupon Inc.’s stock soared 16% in active premarket trade Tuesday, after China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. disclosed late Friday that it had acquired at 5.6% stake in the daily deals company. The price jump comes a day after the stock rocketed 29% on the heels of better-than-expected results and an upbeat outlook. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Alibaba said it owned 32.97 million shares of Groupon as of Dec. 31, which would make it Groupon’s fourth largest shareholder. At the current premarket price of $3.36, Alibaba’s stake in Groupon has increased in value by $36.93 million in two sessions, and would now be up by about $9.6 million year to date, if it has kept its stake intact.

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Groupon Inc.’s stock soared 16% in active premarket trade Tuesday, after China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. disclosed late Friday that it had acquired at 5.6% stake in the daily deals company. The price jump comes a day after the stock rocketed 29% on the heels of better-than-expected results and an upbeat outlook. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Alibaba said it owned 32.97 million shares of Groupon as of Dec. 31, which would make it Groupon’s fourth largest shareholder. At the current premarket price of $3.36, Alibaba’s stake in Groupon has increased in value by $36.93 million in two sessions, and would now be up by about $9.6 million year to date, if it has kept its stake intact.

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Stryker Corp. announced Tuesday a deal to buy defibrillator maker Physio-Control International Inc. from private-equity firm Bain Capital for $1.28 billion in cash. The deal, which is expected to close at the beginning of the second quarter, is seen adding slightly to earnings in 2016. Stryker said its new adjusted earnings-per-share outlook for 2016 is $5.57 to $5.77, compared with the FactSet consensus of $5.61. “Physio-Control has achieved global leadership positions with a strong brand and customer-centered solutions that can predict or intervene in life-threatening emergencies,” said Stryker Chief Executive Kevin Lobo. Stryker’s stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has gained 0.7% over the past three months, while the S&P 500 has lost 9.2%.

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Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s stock surged 2.4% in premarket trade Tuesday, after J.P. Morgan did an about face on the investment bank, turning to bullish from bearish. Analyst Kian Abouhossein raised his rating to overweight from underweight, and boosted the stock price target to $180 from $170. “We see [Goldman] as a Tier 1 player in both fixed income and equities,” Abouhossein wrote in a note to clients. “Hence we expect [Goldman] to perform better than peers in the current challenging revenue environment.” Abouhossein also upgraded Morgan Stanley, moving to overweight from neutral, on the belief that the investment bank is making the right move by shrinking its fixed income, currency and commodities trading business. The stock shot up 2.9% premarket. Abouhossein believes the stock’s current valuation discount to tangible book value is “unjustified” considering Morgan Stanley has bought back 23% of its market capitalization over the last three years. Goldman’s stock had tumbled 24% over the past three months through Friday, and Morgan Stanley shares had plunged 32%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 8.6%.

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ADT Corp.’s stock rocketed 50% in premarket trade Tuesday, after the home security company agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm Apollo Global Management in a deal valued at about $15 billion. Under terms of the deal ADT shareholders will received $42 a share in cash for each ADT share they own, which represents at 56% premium to Friday’s closing price of $26.87. The deal, which is expected to close by June 2016, includes a “go-shop” period of 40 days, during which time ADT may actively look for alternative buyout bids. As part of the deal, ADT will be merged with Prime Security Services Borrower (Protection 1), which is also owned by Apollo, with the combined company to operate under the ADT brand. “This transaction represents a highly attractive premium for ADT’s shareholders,” said ADT Chief Executive Naren Gursahaney. “By combining Protection 1 with ADT, we will be better positioned to expand the breadth and depth of the services we offer to our customers throughout the United States and Canada.” ADT’s stock had dropped 21% over the past three months through Friday, while the S&P 500 has lost 9.2%. Apollo’s stock was still inactive ahead of Tuesday’s open.

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Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar have agreed to freeze their crude oil production at January levels, but only if other major oil nations follow suit, media reports said Tuesday. Energy ministers from the four countries reached the deal during talks on how to stabilize the volatile oil market, held in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday. Unlike the other nations involved, Russia is not a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Details of the agreement will be shared with other members of OPEC, reports said.

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U.S. stock futures rose sharply on Tuesday, as a recovery for global stock markets continued, partly fueled by hopes that central banks will launch more easing. U.S. markets were closed Monday’s for the Presidents Day holiday, but stock futures rallied in a shortened trading session. For Tuesday, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures jumped 268 points, or 1.7% to 16,181, while those for the S&P 500 index gained 31.95 points, or 1.7%, to 1,890.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index rose 87.75 points, or 2.2%, to 4,094.25. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite index jumped 3.2%, led by financials. Crude oil prices surged nearly 5% ahead of a meeting of Russian and Saudi oil ministers, as hopes grew for a potential move on production cuts. Mirroring weakness on Monday, gold prices slid $41.50, or 3.3%, to $1,198.40 as appetite for riskier investments such as stocks grew.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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