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Stocks making the biggest midday moves: Microsoft, Alphabet, Boeing and more

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A GE AC4400CW diesel-electric locomotive in Union Pacific livery is seen near Union Station in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 2022.
Bing Guan | Reuters

Here are the stocks making headlines on Wednesday, July 26.

Microsoft — The Xbox owner saw its shares slide 3.7% after issuing quarterly revenue guidance that fell short of analysts' expectations. The soft revenue outlook was partly due to weakness in the segment that contains Windows software. Microsoft did report earnings and revenue that beat Street estimates for the calendar second quarter, however.

Alphabet — Shares of the Google parent rose 5.8% after Alphabet beat analysts' revenue and profit in the second quarter. The parent company of YouTube reported $1.44 in earnings per share on $74.6 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting $1.34 per share on $72.82 billion of revenue.

Boeing — The aerospace company's shares jumped 8.7% and hit a new 52-week high after its second-quarter earnings announcement. Boeing's revenue of $19.75 billion topped analysts' estimates of $18.45 billion, according to Refinitiv. The company also reported an 82-cent-loss per share, while Refinitiv analysts had estimated a loss of 88 cents per share.

WW International — Shares of the weight loss company soared 16% after an upgrade to overweight from Morgan Stanley. The bank highlighted WW International's recent acquisition of Sequence, which analyst Lauren Schenk said will aid growth by providing exposure to weight loss drugs.

Texas Instruments — Shares dropped 5.4% as investors focused on the company's guidance for the current quarter. Texas Instruments said to expect between $1.68 and $1.92 in earnings per share in the current quarter, meaning much of the range was below the $1.91 estimate of analysts polled by FactSet. Meanwhile, the company guided revenue to between $4.36 billion and $4.74 billion against a FactSet consensus estimate of $4.59 billion. However, the company's second quarter results exceeded analysts' expectations.

Visa — The credit card stock slipped less than 1% after Visa beat estimates for its fiscal third quarter. The company reported $2.16 in adjusted earnings per share on $8.12 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were looking for $2.12 in earnings per share on $8.06 billion of revenue. The company did report that payments volume growth was slowing slightly.

Chubb — Shares of the insurance company jumped more than 5% after a stronger-than-expected second-quarter report. The company posted $4.92 in adjusted earnings per share, above the $4.41 expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. The net premiums written for property and casualty lines came in at $10.68 billion, above estimates of $10.64 billion.

Spotify — The music streaming company's shares gained 6.2% Wednesday. Shares closed 14% lower Tuesday after Spotify's second-quarter results missed analysts' expectations. Deutsche Bank wrote in a Wednesday note that the post-earnings selloff created an attractive entry point for investors.

PacWest – Shares of the community bank surged nearly 27% after it agreed to be acquired by Banc of California in all-stock deal, which includes $400 million in equity from Warburg Pincus and Centerbridge. The combined holding company will operate under the Banc of California name. Shares of Banc of California rose less than 1%.

Union Pacific shares spike following CEO succession announcement
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Union Pacific shares spike following CEO succession announcement

Union Pacific – The railroad operator saw its shares jump 10.4% after it named Jim Vena its new CEO. The announcement overshadowed its second-quarter results, which missed estimates. The Omaha-based company reported $2.54 in adjusted earnings per share on $5.96 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had penciled in $2.75 per share and $6.12 billion. Union Pacific blamed softening consumer markets, inflation, a one-time labor expense and increased workforce levels but said resource levels were more aligned with demand to finish the quarter.

Robert Half — Shares of the staffing consulting firm tumbled almost 6% after Robert Half reported disappointing second-quarter results. The firm reported $1.00 in earnings per share on $1.64 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting $1.14 per share and $1.69 billion of revenue.

General Dynamics — The defense contractor's stock added 2.2% after General Dynamics reported better-than-expected second-quarter results. The company logged $2.70 in earnings per share on $10.15 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had estimated $2.56 in earnings per share on $9.46 billion of revenue.

CoStar Group — Shares of the commercial real estate company slid 8% after reporting lighter-than-expected revenue for the second quarter, and softer guidance for the third quarter. CoStar said it generated $605.9 million in revenue during the second quarter and expected between $622 and $627 million in the third. Analysts estimated $607.3 million and $623.4 million for those respective periods, according to FactSet's StreetAccount.

KeyCorp — Shares of the Cleveland-based regional bank jumped nearly 7%. Regional bank stocks moved broadly higher after the deal between Banc of California and PacWest.

— CNBC's Hakyung Kim, Brian Evans, Yun Li, Tanaya Macheel, Alex Harring and Samantha Subin contributed reporting.