Loews Corp [L] - Last Close: $76.28
Loews is powering to the top of the S&P 500 despite no obvious company-specific news to explain the sudden breakout.
Late yesterday, CFRA published a report that reemphasized its positive view on stock and highlighted positive notes from its recent performance.
The note must have gotten the market’s attention because share of L are exploding in today’s premarket.
L is up 22.3% but volume is very low at the moment. This gain translates to a $3.77 billion increase in the company’s market cap.
My Take: I had to mention this today because it’s very odd to see a stock as big as L make such a sharp & sudden move with no obvious news to explain it. I’m not sure what’s going on here but I would advise caution.
Carvana [CVNA] - Last Close: $87.09
Online car retailer Carvana is getting a boost after a strong earnings report in Wednesday’s aftermarket.
Carvana reported a surprise profit of $0.23 per share after reporting a loss of $(1.51) per share a year ago. The consensus estimate was for a $(0.79) loss.
Net sales grew 17% YoY to $3.06 billion for the quarter, which also outpaced the Street’s $2.69 billion forecast.
CVNA is a top mover with a 36.7% gain on roughly a half-million shares traded.
My Take: CVNA has made a dramatic comeback over the past year. It’s pretty impressive to see, but I worry it’s a little late in the game to start buying. It could be wise to wait for a pullback here.
Allarity Therapeutics [ALLR] - Last Close: $1.37
This tiny biotech just announced the early discontinuation of a Phase 2 trial of stenoparib due to the success of the stud.
The drug showed clear clinical benefit and achieved significant milestones in the trial, so the company halted early to “enable and accelerate” the development of a follow-up trial with the FDA.
ALLR is up 121.1% on over 10 million shares traded.
My Take: This could be a big catalyst for ALLR. The stock has had a rough run of it in 2024, but this news could help it get back on an upward trend.
Emergent Bioscience [EBS] - Last Close: $1.93
After yesterday’s close, Emergent Bio posted a double-line beat on its Q1 earnings report and announced a cost-cutting effort.
Emergent reported a surprise profit of $0.59 per share against the consensus of an $(0.83) per share loss.
Revenues of $300.4 million also topped the $224.5 million consensus.
Emergent also said it would lay off 300 employees to slash costs.
EBS is up 54.3% on roughly 8 million shares traded in today’s premarket.
My Take: This was a good report for EBS. Shares have been downtrending since a spike in March, but maybe news of the strong quarter will help it pivot.
