Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Moderna — The biotechnology company retreated 4% after losing $2.91 per share in the fourth quarter, a wider loss than the $2.68 expected by LSEG. However, the company beat expectations of analysts for revenue in the quarter. GameStop — Shares rallied 8% after sources familiar with the matter told CNBC that the video game retailer is considering investing in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The company is determining whether this would be wise as a business move, one source said. Roku — The streaming stock surged 14% on better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter. Roku said it lost 24 cents per share, while analysts polled by LSEG expected a loss of 40 cents per share. The company recorded $1.20 billion in revenue, while the Street penciled in just $1.15 billion. Airbnb — Shares popped more than 13% after Airbnb posted a top- and bottom-line beat for the fourth quarter. The vacation rentals company reported earnings of 73 cents per share on $2.48 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by LSEG had forecast earnings of 58 cents per share and revenue of $2.42 billion. Informatica — Shares plunged 33% after the cloud data management company issued a grim forecast for the current quarter. Informatica sees first-quarter revenue ranging between $380 million and $400 million, below the $412 million expected by analysts polled by LSEG. Full-year revenue guidance also came in below expectations, with the company anticipating sales of $1.67 billion to $1.72 billion, lower than the $1.78 billion consensus estimate. Applied Materials — The semiconductor company slid 4.8% after providing a softer-than-anticipated revenue outlook that overshadowed quarterly results that beat analysts’ expectations. Twilio — The cloud communications stock tumbled 8.8% in the wake of weak earnings guidance. Twilio told investors to expect earnings per share between 88 cents and 93 cents in the first quarter, under the forecast of 99 cents per share from analysts polled by LSEG. Palo Alto Networks — The tech stock fell more than 4.4% after free cash flow results for the latest quarter missed estimates. Palo Alto reported $509.4 million in free cash flow for its fiscal second quarter, while analysts polled by FactSet were looking for $694.9 million. The company did top estimates for adjusted earnings per share and revenue. DaVita — The dialysis provider’s stock slid 9% after the company issued a weak outlook amid rising care costs. DaVita expects its 2025 adjusted profit per share to be between $10.20 and $11.30, compared to analysts’ average expectation of $11.24 per share, per LSEG. Big investor Berkshire Hathaway also offloaded some shares in a preplanned agreement. Dexcom — The medical device maker popped 3% after reaffirming full-year revenue guidance, despite it being slightly lower than expected by analysts polled by FactSet. Dexcom also posted $1.11 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter, which is in line with the Street’s estimates. DraftKings — The stock climbed 5.4% after the sports betting company raised the lower end of its full-year revenue guidance. It now expects revenue of $6.3 billion to $6.6 billion, bringing its midpoint to $6.45 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG were anticipating full-year revenue of $6.39 billion. DraftKing’s fourth-quarter results fell short of the Street’s estimates. Coinbase — The crypto marketplace slid 2.5% despite earnings coming in ahead of forecasts. Coinbase earned $4.68 per share on revenue of $2.27 billion, while analysts polled by LSEG anticipated $1.81 in earnings per share and $1.88 billion in revenue. — CNBC’s Hakyung Kim, Yun Li, Michell Fox, Sarah Min and Jesse Pound contributed reporting.
Based on a lot of the recent dire headlines, many Americans may have come to think of Social Security as an asset that is going to disappear from their financial future rather than be part of it, but it may be a bigger factor in portfolio success than it gets credit for, according to investing legend Charles Ellis.
The steady stream of income provided by Social Security can influence asset allocation decisions that improve overall performance, says Ellis, who has written many books on investing and helped to pioneer the index fund space.
“We don’t talk about it. We don’t measure it. We don’t quantify it. But it’s a substantial asset,” Ellis told CNBC’s Bob Pisani on “ETF Edge” this week.
He argues Social Security functions similarly to an inflation-protected bond. Yet, it is rarely factored into investor asset allocation plans.
Overlooking Social Security can be a big mistake, said Ellis, whose books on finance include “Winning the Loser’s Game,” and whose new book is “Rethinking Investing – A Very Short Guide to Very Long-Term Investing.”
“Be very surprised if you don’t have something on the order of $250[000] to $350,000 coming your way through the Social Security program,” Ellis said on “ETF Edge.”
Failing to recognize this can lead to overly cautious investing, he added.
The S&P 500 has averaged around 12% annual returns since 1928, according to New York University Stern. The U.S. 10 Year Treasury has returned just about 5% over the same time period.
Ellis says Social Security’s steady income stream allows for greater stock exposure.
“Almost anybody looking at the reason for holding bonds talks about the desire to reduce the fluctuations,” he said.
He gave the example of an inheritance that an adult child expects as a parallel thought experiment. “If you have wealthy parents that are going to give you an inheritance in the future, any of those things that you really know are valued, why not include them in your thinking so that you won’t overweight yourself in fixed income?”
“Why not include [Social Security] in your thinking?” Ellis said.
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Warner Music Group — The entertainment stock popped 3% following an upgrade at Citi to buy from neutral. Citi analyst Jason Bazinet said that Warner Music’s multiple is “far below” those of its peers. Roku – Shares popped nearly 14% after the streaming company reported fourth-quarter results that beat analyst expectations. Roku lost 24 cents per share on revenue of $1.2 billion. Analysts expected a loss of 40 cents per share on revenue of $1.14 billion, per LSEG. The company also said households using its platform grew by 12% year over year in 2024. Airbnb – The stock rallied 14% after the travel company’s fourth-quarter numbers beat expectations . Airbnb earned 73 cents per share on revenue of $2.48 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of 58 cents per share on revenue of $2.42 billion. Twilio – Shares of the cloud communications company plunged nearly 14% on the heels of its weak earnings guidance. Twilio expects first-quarter earnings to come in between 88 cents and 93 cents per share, while analysts surveyed by LSEG had penciled in 99 cents per share. GameStop – The meme stock jumped more than 5% after sources familiar with the matter told CNBC that the video game retailer is considering investing in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Still, GameStop is in the process of determining whether this makes sense for the company’s business, one source said. Wynn Resorts — The casino stock surged 10% after fourth-quarter results topped estimates. Wynn reported $2.42 in adjusted earnings per share on $1.84 billion of revenue. Analysts had penciled in $1.27 per share and $1.77 billion of revenue, according to FactSet. Net revenue was stronger than expected in Macao and Las Vegas. Applied Materials — The chipmaker tumbled nearly 7% after issuing a softer-than-anticipated revenue outlook that overshadowed better-than-expected quarterly results. Palo Alto Networks — Shares of the cybersecurity company declined 3% after free cash flow results for the latest quarter fell below estimates. Palo Alto reported $509.4 million in free cash flow for its fiscal second quarter, while analysts polled by FactSet forecast $694.9 million. To be sure, the company did beat estimates for the top and bottom lines. DraftKings — Shares soared nearly 11% after the sports betting company increased the lower end of its full-year revenue guidance. It now forecasts revenue to come in between $6.3 billion to $6.6 billion, bringing its midpoint to $6.45 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG were anticipating full-year revenue of $6.39 billion. Meanwhile, DraftKings’ fourth-quarter results fell short of analysts’ estimates. WeRide — The Chinese self-driving technology stock surged about 80% after Nvidia revealed it holds a $25 million stake in the company, according to a 13F regulatory filing. Coinbase — The crypto marketplace tumbled nearly 7% despite earnings coming in ahead of forecasts . Coinbase reported $4.68 per share in earnings on revenue of $2.27 billion, while analysts polled by LSEG anticipated $1.81 in earnings per share and $1.88 billion in revenue. GoDaddy — Shares fell 13% after GoDaddy issued lighter-than-expected revenue guidance for the first quarter. The online domain registration company expected revenue to fall between $1.175 million and $1.195 billion in the first quarter, the low end of which falls below the $1.19 billion consensus estimate, per FactSet. — CNBC’s Fred Imbert, Lisa Kailai Han, Alex Harring, Yun Li, Sean Conlon and Jesse Pound contributed reporting
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 13, 2025.
NYSE
DaVita, a company that provides dialysis services, saw shares tumbling Friday after issuing a weak outlook amid rising care costs, while big investor Berkshire Hathaway offloaded some shares in a preplanned agreement.
The health-care stock fell more than 12% Friday. The Colorado-based company said it expects its 2025 adjusted profit per share to be between $10.20 and $11.30, compared to analysts’ average expectation of $11.24 per share, according to LSEG.
The disappointing guidance underlined increasing patient care costs due to center closure costs and health benefit expenses. In the fourth quarter, the company incurred charges for closures of its dialysis centers in the U.S. totaling $24.2 million.
Still, DaVita’s fourth-quarter earnings of $2.24 per share on an adjusted basis topped analysts’ estimates of $2.13 per share per LSEG.
Separately, DaVita’s largest institutional investor Berkshire Hathaway sold 203,091 shares on Tuesday to reduce its stake to 45%, worth nearly $6.4 billion, a regulatory filing Thursday night showed.
The sale was part of a share repurchase agreement the two parties reached back in April. DaVita agreed to buy back shares to reduce Berkshire’s ownership stake to 45% on a quarterly basis.
Warren Buffett’s conglomerate first invested in DaVita in 2011. As of the end of September, DaVita was Berkshire’s 10th largest equity holding.