CVS to cut jobs, PepsiCo acquires Siete Foods: Morning Buzz

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.

1. STOCK NEWS:

• CVS Health (CVS) will cut 2,900 workers in a cost-cutting effort, CNN says, amid reports that the company continues discussing strategic options
• Boeing (BA) is considering raising at least $10B by selling stock, Bloomberg says
• PepsiCo (PEP) agreed to acquire Siete Foods for $1.2B
• General Motors (GM) reported that Q3 U.S. deliveries fell 2% year-over-year
• Apple (AAPL) is cutting iPhone 16 orders for the December quarter in a sign of weak demand, according to Barclays

2. WALL STREET CALLS:

• Ford (F) upgraded to Buy at Goldman Sachs
• Disney (DIS) downgraded to Market Perform at Raymond James
• Wedbush upgraded Dine Brands (DIN) with sales challenges priced in
• General Dynamics (GD) downgraded to Equal Weight at Wells Fargo
• Meta Platforms (META) initiated with bullish view at Pivotal Research
• Alphabet (GOOGL) also initiated with bullish view at Pivotal Research

3. AROUND THE WEB:

• A U.S. judge has dismissed a DOJ lawsuit accusing eBay (EBAY) of violating environmental laws by allowing the sale of harmful products, Reuters says
• Tata’s iPhone factory in India has been closed indefinitely after a fire and Apple (AAPL) may have to turn back to China to avoid a shortfall in production, Reuters says
• Johnson Controls (JCI) is kicking off the sale process of its ADT alarms business, which could be worth about $2B in a deal, Bloomberg says
• Eli Lilly (LLY) is planning to study its anti-obesity medications on people who are not overweight but are at risk of weight gain, FT reports
• A lawsuit filed by New Mexico against Snap (SNAP) alleges the company’s product features and enforcement gaps have made its platform a haven for child abuse and blackmail, WSJ says

4. MOVERS:

• New Fortress Energy (NFE) gains after selling 46.35M shares
• Arcos Dorados (ARCO) increases after exercising its option to renew its MFA with McDonald’s (MCD)
• InMode (INMD) falls in New York after announcing the departure of the President of NA Lakhani, which follows the departure of CMO Theodorou and VP of Sales USA Wilson
• ZIM Integrated (ZIM) lower in New York after Washington Post reported tens of thousands of dockworkers have launched a strike at ports along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico
• SITE Centers (SITC) declines after completing the spin-off of Curbline Properties (CURB)

5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:

• McCormick (MKC) reported Q3 results and raised its guidance for FY24
• United Natural Foods (UNFI) reported Q4 results, with EPS and revenue beating consensus
• Paychex (PAYX) reported Q1 results, with CEO John Gibson commenting, “We are off to a solid start in fiscal 2025”
• Acuity Brands (AYI) reported Q4 results, with EPS and revenue beating consensus
• AMN Healthcare (AMN) backed its guidance for Q3

INDEXES:

Near midday, the Dow was down 115.70, or 0.27%, to 42,214.45, the Nasdaq was down 296.70, or 1.63%, to 17,892.47, and the S&P 500 was down 51.65, or 0.90%, to 5,710.83.