Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Oracle — The database software company slid roughly 7% after posting fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue that lagged analysts’ estimates. Oracle also issued guidance for the current quarter, calling for revenue growth of 7% to 9% and adjusted earnings of $1.50 to $1.54 per share, saying foreign exchange rates will hurt revenue by 2% and knock EPS by 3c per share. MongoDB — The database platform tumbled 7% after CFO and COO Michael Gordon stepped down effective Jan. 31. However, the stock posted a fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue beat and raised its fourth-quarter forecast. MongoDB now expects its adjusted earnings to come in between 62 to 65 cents per share, higher than the per-share consensus of 58 cents, according to LSEG. The firm also guided for revenue of between $515 million to $519 million, against the expected $509 million. Alaska Air Group — The Seattle-based carrier guided 4Q results higher and set a $1b buyback, sending the stock 11% higher. Alaska, which also plans new nonstop flights next year to Tokyo and Seoul from Seattle, expects profits to grow by $1 billion through 2027. American Airlines — The Fort Worth-based legacy carrier gained nearly 3% following an upgrade at Bernstein to outperform from market perform. The firm said the improving industry backdrop and American Airlines’ new credit card deal improves the outlook. C3.ai — The enterprise artificial intelligence software company rose 2% after reporting a fiscal second-quarter adjusted loss of 6 cents, smaller than the 16 cent per share loss analysts polled by LSEG had estimated. Revenue of $94 million also topped a $91 million consensus forecast. Braze — The customer engagement platform shed nearly 4% after third-quarter earnings and revenue beat Street expectations, while non-GAAP gross margin narrowed to 70.5% from 71.4% a year ago. Braze, which had rallied 21% over the past month going into the results, also posted a range for its fourth-quarter revenue that encompassed Wall Street’s estimate of $155.2 million. HealthEquity — Shares fell 6% after the health savings account custodian forecast revenue of between $1.275 billion to $1.295 billion for the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2026, lower than the $1.32 billion analysts had estimated, according to FactSet. Toll Brothers — Shares of the homebuilder fell 4% after a key profit margin missed expectations. Toll’s unadjusted homebuilding gross margin was 26.0% in the fourth quarter ended Oct. 31, below the 26.5% expected by analysts, according to FactSet, and down from 27.5% a year earlier. eBay — The e-commerce stock slipped 3% following a downgrade to underperform from hold at Jefferies. Analyst John Colantuoni said that decelerating advertising revenue and a China slowdown could weigh on future growth. Centene — The health insurer dropped nearly 2% after Jefferies downgraded Centene to underperform, citing health insurance exchange (HIX) concerns as a catalyst. Analyst David Windley wrote that CNC’s HIX premiums doubled from 2021 and 2024, and he sees an “unwind of this high and profitable growth as the near-term and long-term regulatory environment becomes more hostile.” Pinterest — The online image platform saw shares decline more than 2% in early trading after Piper Sandler downgraded to neutral from overweight. The Wall Street firm moved to the sidelines following two quarters of mixed results, while its advertising survey showed stiff competition. CoreCivic — Shares gained 2.9% after Wedbush Securities upgraded the private prison operator to outperform from neutral, saying the mass deportations promised by President-elect Donald Trump is a positive. “We now believe that the need for incremental [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] beds could be even higher than previously expected, and that this need for beds could result in a reactivation of the lost South Texas contract,” analyst Brian Violino wrote. Norwegian Cruise Line — Shares climbed 3.2% on the back of a Goldman Sachs upgrade to buy from neutral. Goldman said the Miami-based cruise line has improved as a business and deserves a higher price-to-earnings multiple. — CNBC’s Michelle Fox, Alex Harring, Yun Li, Sarah Min, Jesse Pound and Pia Singh contributed reporting.
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: Adobe — The software company tumbled more than 12% after it announced lighter-than-expected revenue estimates for the fiscal first quarter. Adobe guided for revenue between $5.63 billion and $5.68 billion in the fiscal first quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.73 billion, according to LSEG. Warner Bros. Discovery — Shares surged 15% after the legacy media company announced plans to restructure and split its business into linear and streaming segments. Constellation Energy — The energy company advanced 3% following an upgrade to buy from Bank of America, with the firm citing rising demand and tightening supply as catalysts for shares moving forward. Celsius Holdings — The energy drink maker surged 5% after JPMorgan initiated coverage at an overweight rating. JPMorgan said lighter inventory and a reacceleration of growth can help the stock rebound. Hershey — Shares rose 2% even after Wells Fargo downgraded the candy company to underweight from equal weight, saying Hershey is at the “precipice of historic EPS pressure in 2025 and (now) into 2026 … and Street EPS needs to come down substantially.” Beverage stocks — Shares of Coca-Cola , PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper all advanced more than 1% after Deutsche Bank upgraded the beverage companies to buy from neutral. Analyst Steve Powers said he expects accelerating trends in restaurant traffic and stronger impulse purchases next year, which he believes should be a boon for the sector. Oxford Industries — Shares pulled back more than 7% after the apparel and footwear company’s fourth-quarter earnings guidance fell short of estimates. Oxford forecast earnings per share, excluding items, in the current quarter of $1.18 to $1.38 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet were looking for $1.55 in earnings per share. Riot Platforms — Shares jumped nearly 10% after The Wall Street Journal reported activist investor Starboard Value has taken a “significant position” in the bitcoin miner and is pushing for the company to convert some of its bitcoin mining facilities into space for big data-center users. Pure-play miners such as Riot this year have lagged other miners that pivoted to artificial intelligence. While some caught up in the postelection crypto rally, Riot is still down 16% for 2024. Uber Technologies — The ride-share stock rose about 2% on Thursday, clawing back some of its recent losses. Uber Chief Financial Officer Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah said at a Barclays conference late Wednesday that the company feels “very comfortable” with the near-term growth trajectory of its mobility business, according to FactSet. Uber is still down 13% month to date, in part due to concerns about its business as autonomous driving advances. ServiceTitan — Shares of the cloud software company surged more than 40% as ServiceTitan made its debut on the Nasdaq. The initial public offering was priced at $71 per share Wednesday evening, topping the company’s expected range. The stock is trading under the ticker “TTAN.” — CNBC’s Alex Harring, Hakyung Kim, Sarah Min, Jesse Pound and Tanaya Macheel contributed reporting.
“I don’t want to get into a situation where they do and we have a dip or something, because that can always happen,” Trump told CNBC’s Jim Cramer during “Squawk on the Street.”
Trump repeatedly used the stock market as a performance barometer during his first term. In that time, the S&P 500 scaled nearly 68% — reaching all-time highs. Part of that was due to corporate tax cuts passed by the administration at the time. The Federal Reserve also maintained interest rates close to historical lows back then as it tried to spur inflation — also boosting stock prices.
President-elect Donald Trump is greeted by traders, as he walks the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York.
Alex Brandon | AP
He touted at the exchange on Thursday the possibility of lowering taxes again. “We’re gonna do things that haven’t really been done before. We’re gonna cut taxes still further,” he said. “You pay 21% if you don’t build here. If you do, we’re going to try and get it to 15%, but you have to build your product, make your product in the USA.”
Wall Street CEOs and investors such as Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon and Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman came to the NYSE for Trump’s bell-ringing ceremony. Ackman told CNBC later that “most of the country understands that the more successful businesses are, the more the stock market goes up, the more that their wages rise, the more job growth, the more opportunity, the more businesses who come to this country, it lifts all boats.”
To be sure, while Trump refrained from telling investors to buy stocks now, he maintained a bullish outlook longer term.
“I think long term this is going to be a country like no other. We had the three best years ever until Covid came,” he said after being named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.”
Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Constellation Energy — The energy stock added 2% following an upgrade to buy from neutral at Bank of America. Analyst Ross Fowler said that the company was in the best position to benefit from upcoming regulatory clarity coupled with increasing demand and tightening supply. This potential is not currently baked into the company’s price, making shares undervalued, he added. Celsius Holdings — Shares of the energy drink manufacturer rose nearly 4% after JPMorgan initiated coverage of the company with an overweight rating, citing lighter inventory and a reacceleration in U.S. energy drink category growth as catalysts. Uber — Shares of the ridesharing company climbed more than 3%, rebounding from losses earlier in the week. The stock has declined for three straight days, including a 5.8% drop on Wednesday after General Motors halted funding of Cruise. The autonomous driving division had a partnership with Uber. Beverage companies — Deutsche Bank analyst Steve Powers upgraded Coca-Cola , PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper to buy from neutral. Each of the stocks moved up around 1% in premarket trading. The analyst anticipates accelerating trends in restaurant traffic and more impulse purchasing next year, which he believes should benefit the beverage and snacks industry. Adobe — The software giant tumbled 11% after issuing weaker-than-expected revenue guidance for its fiscal first quarter. Adobe anticipates revenues between $5.63 billion and $5.68 billion, versus the LSEG consensus estimate of $5.73 billion. Oxford Industries — Shares of the apparel and footwear retailer declined about 4% after posting third-quarter results that fell short of expectations. The owner of retail brands such as Tommy Bahama reported adjusted losses of 11 cents per share on revenue of $308 million for the period. Analysts polled by FactSet expected it to earn 9 cents per share on $316.8 million in revenue. Chewy — The pet goods retailer’s shares fell about 3% in premarket trading after it announced a public offering of $500 million shares, which are being sold by Buddy Chester Sub. The retailer plans to concurrently purchase $50 million in shares from Buddy Chester. — CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han, Jesse Pound, Yun Li and Michelle Fox contributed reporting.