News
Stocks lower Friday. Movers: Palantir, Applied Materials, Ulta Beauty
Stocks fell sharply on Friday as the post-election rally lost its momentum.
The S&P 500 lost 1.6% at last check, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8%. The Russell 2000 Index fell 1.64%.
Bitcoin, which recently touched a record price above $91,000, moved up 3% to $89,922.
S&P 500 big stock movers today
Five S&P 500 stocks making big midday moves are:
The worst-performing five S&P 500 stocks with the largest midday drop are:
Stocks also worth noting include:
Applied Materials tumbles after disappointing outlook
Applied Materials lost 8% after giving a disappointing outlook.
The chip-equipment maker reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.32 for its fiscal Q4, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 among analysts tracked by TheStreet. Revenue of $7.05 billion also surpassed analysts’ forecast of $6.96 billion.
Related: Analysts revisit Applied Materials stock price targets after Q4 earnings
For the current quarter, however, it estimated revenue in the region of $7.15 billion, with a margin for error of $400 million, which fell modestly short of Wall Street forecasts.
Applied Materials is a key player in the AI investment story, as it provides the equipment to produce the chips. Its key customers include Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor.
Palantir surges after plans to switch to the Nasdaq
Palantir Technologies shares surged 8% to a record Friday after announcing its switch to the Nasdaq from the New York Stock Exchange, beginning Nov. 26.
The data-analytics company also expects to be eligible to join the Nasdaq 100 index, which would mean that "anyone who uses the Nasdaq index as their benchmark will have to buy PLTR," said Kenny Polcari, chief market strategist for SlateStone Wealth, Reuters reported.
Related: Analyst who forecast Palantir's rally makes another bold call
The stock has more than tripled (up 267%) this year. Its gains were fueled by the company’s strong earnings and rosy guidance following its Nov. 4 quarterly report.
Palantir is benefiting from strong demand for its AI platform. The company serves clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Merck KGaA, and Airbus.
“The growth of our business is accelerating, and our financial performance is exceeding expectations as we meet an unwavering demand for the most advanced artificial intelligence technologies from our U.S. government and commercial customers,” CEO Alex Karp said earlier this month in a letter.
Ulta Beauty falls after Berkshire Hathaway sells shares
Shares of Ulta Beauty slid 4% after Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) disclosed it sold nearly all its stake in the cosmetics retailer.
Berkshire ( BRK.A ) sold 666,000 shares of Ulta during the third quarter, retaining 24,000 shares as of Sept. 30, according to a 13-F filing with the SEC . This marks a reversal from the 690,000 shares it purchased in the second quarter.
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Ulta missed revenue and earnings estimates for its fiscal second quarter in August. The company also slashed its full-year guidance for net sales, earnings per share, operating margin, and same-store sales.
Ulta stock is now down 24% year-to-date. The company is expected to report earnings on Dec. 5.
Related: Veteran fund manager sees world of pain coming for stocks