U.S. stock index futures were steady on Thursday as investors awaited a fresh batch of economic data and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments later in the day for clues on the outlook for the economy and monetary policy.
Market Snapshot
At 7:54 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 86 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures climbed 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures traded just above the flatline.
Pre-Market Movers
Cisco reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that fell from a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, profit of 91 cents a share topped analysts' estimates of 87 cents, while revenue of $13.84 billion, down 6% from the prior year, topped expectations of $13.78 billion. The networking company said product orders, excluding the Splunk acquisition, rose 9% in the period. Cisco issued a revenue forecast for its current second quarter that at the midpoint was higher than consensus forecasts. "Our customers are investing in critical infrastructure to prepare for AI, and with the breadth of our portfolio, we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this opportunity," said Chief Executive Chuck Robbins. The stock was down 3%.
U.S.-listed shares of JD.com fell 1.1% after the Chinese e-commerce giant reported third-quarter profit jumped 48% from a year earlier and revenue increased 5.1% but missed analysts' expectations.
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. rose 14% after the company authorized a stock repurchase program for up to $100M of Zeta's Class A common stock through December 31, 2026.
Tapestry Inc. rose 7% and Capri Holdings declined 4.8% after the companies called off their $8.5 billion merger agreement, saying they "mutually agreed that terminating the merger agreement at this time is in the best interest of both companies, as the outcome of the legal process is uncertain and unlikely to be resolved by the Feb. 10, 2025 outside date."
Ibotta Inc. dropped 20% even after the digital marketing platform reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street estimates. Ibotta went public in April.
Market News
Disney Gains After the Entertainment Segment Headlines the Overall Profit Improvement
Walt Disney rose 10%. Revenue growth of 6.3% year-over-year included gains across the Experiences (+1%) and Entertainment (+14%) segments, while the Sports segment saw flat revenue growth.
Disney (DIS) reported total segment operating income of $3.66 billion for the quarter that ended on September 28, vs. $3.71 billion consensus and $2.98 billion a year ago. The total was broken down by entertainment segment operating income of $1.07 billion vs. $1.16 billion, sports segment operating income of $929 million vs $904 million consensus, and experiences operating income estimate of $1.66 billion to match the consensus expectation. Notably, the entertainment segment operating income more than tripled year over year in FQ4.
Super Micro Computer Continues to Slide with Shares Down 11% in Premarket Trade
SUPER MICRO COMPUTER INC stock continued to slide, with shares down 11% in premarket trade, a day after the company delayed its 10-Q filing.
The embattled artificial intelligence server maker said on Wednesday it will be unable to file its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended Sept. 30 in a timely manner without unreasonable effort or expense.
The firm had also said it needs additional time to select and engage a new accounting firm and to prepare the Q1 2025 Form 10-Q.
ASML Holding Confirms Long-Term Targets Amid AI-Fueled Chip Boom
ASML Holding NV rose 4% after the company reaffirmed its long-term targets, buoyed by strong demand for its products and services amid an expected growth in semiconductor end-markets.
The Dutch firm — which makes extreme ultraviolet lithography machines — expects annual revenue between €44B and €60B ($46.23B-$63.04B), with gross margin of ~56% and 60% by 2030. That would imply sales growth of 8% to 14% on average over the coming five years.
The targets remain unchanged from the company's previous long-term guidance issued in 2022. Analysts project the firm to generate revenue of $60.89B by 2030.
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