Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.
Datadog — Shares of Datadog popped more than 11% after the cloud security platform announced a new strategic partnership with Microsoft’s cloud computing service Azure. Datadog will now be available in the Azure console as a first-class service, the company said.
Nikola — Nikola soared 11% after the embattled electric truck start-up reconfirmed its business plans and production targets. The rebound followed founder and former Executive Chairman Trevor Milton’s resignation last week amid two women’s sexual assault allegations against him. General Motors said Tuesday it would extend talks on a $2 billion deal with Nikola, which would give the Detroit automaker an 11% stake. The stock has fallen more than 50% this month.
Micron — The semiconductor stock lost more than 4% despite the company beating Wall Street expectations for its fiscal fourth quarter. KeyBanc said in a note that Micron’s guidance for the current quarter was “mixed” in part because of the ban on working with Chinese company Huaweii. KeyBanc and Mizuho also lowered their performance estimates for Micron following the quarterly report.
Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean — Cruise operators rallied after Axios reported that a “no-sail order” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was overruled, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The agency previously banned passenger cruising from U.S. ports into 2021 on concerns about the pandemic. Norwegian Cruise gained nearly 6%, while Carnival rose 2.5% and Royal Caribbean climbed 3.1%.
Moderna — Shares of Modera climbed more than 3% after the biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine appears safe and shows signs of working in older adults, according to study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Starbucks — The world’s largest coffee chain rose more than 2.5% after getting an upgrade to outperform from market perform from Cowen. The Wall Street firm said the Covid-19 crisis is helping Starbucks reset its business strategy by shedding unneeded assets and focusing on customer innovation. Cowen also raised its 12-month price target to $99 from $77 per share.
Duke Energy — Shares of Duke Energy gained more than 6% after the Wall Street Journal reported the energy company was approached by NextEra Energy about a takeover recently. The Journal said Duke rejected the approach but NextEra was still interested in pursuing a combination of the two Southern utility companies.
Canada Goose — Shares jumped 6% after Cowen upgraded the outerwear maker to outperform from market perform. Cowen said that Canada Goose is “well positioned” as an outdoor resource amid the pandemic and as a “global luxury beneficiary” as China improves faster.
Caesars Entertainment – The casino operator’s stock jumped more than 5% after its bid to buy William Hill was accepted by the British betting firm. Caesars offered $3.7 billion, which William Hill said was an attractive price.
Disney — Shares of the entertainment giant dipped about 1% following news that it would lay off 28,000 employees at its parks. The theme park business has been hit hard by the pandemic, with many locations operating with limited capacity or still closed.
— CNBC’s Jesse Pound, Maggie Fitzgerald and Pippa Stevens contributed reporting.
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