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Striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members walk the picket line in front of Netflix offices as SAG-AFTRA union announced it had agreed to a ‘last-minute request’ by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for federal mediation, but it refused to again extend its existing labor contract past the 11:59 p.m. Wednesday negotiating deadline, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 12, 2023.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.
Visa — The credit card behemoth’s stock was trading more than 2% lower after announcing plans to change its share structure. Visa’s Class A shares are held by the public, its B shares are held by U.S. banks, while C shares are owned by foreign banks. The company wants shareholders to approve an exchange offer that would release transfer restrictions on portions of the Class B stock.
Semtech — The semiconductor stock rose 7% after beating earnings expectations for the second quarter. Semtech earned 11 cents per share after adjustments, exceeding the consensus estimate of 2 cents per share from analysts polled by FactSet. However, the company offered weak guidance for the third quarter.
Penn Entertainment – The sports betting company’s shares rallied 6% Thursday. Deutsche Bank initiated a short-term catalyst call to buy Penn, citing an inexpensive valuation ahead of the launch of ESPN BET, which debuts in November.
Netflix — The streaming giant’s shares slipped roughly 2% in midday trading after Chief Financial Officer Spencer Neumann said the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike is bad for business. Speaking at a conference Wednesday, Neumann also cautioned that its ad-supported streaming option wouldn’t help move revenue forward in the short-term, and said operating margins would grow slower moving forward.
Yum China — The restaurant conglomerate’s shares gained nearly 6% during midday trading after it announced new financial targets and unveiled plans to expand to 20,000 locations by 2026 during an investor day.
AMC Entertainment — The meme-stock darling added 3% after AMC said it had completed the equity offering it announced earlier this month. The movie theater chain said it sold 40 million shares at an average price of $8.14, raising about $325.5 million.
Etsy – The e-commerce retailer’s stock rose nearly 3% after Wolfe Research upgraded Etsy to outperform from a peer perform rating, citing improving consumer spending and margins.
HP — The PC and printer stock slipped nearly 3% on news that Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway sold about 5.5 million shares of its stock, amounting to roughly $158 million, a regulatory filing showed.
Exxon Mobil, Chevron — Shares of the oil majors were trading higher Thursday as U.S. oil prices surpassed $90 per barrel for the first time since November of 2022. Exxon shares gained 1.5%, while Chevron added nearly 1%.
— CNBC’s Samantha Subin, Pia Singh and Alex Harring contributed reporting
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