The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
1958 ET - Following a rebound in lithium prices, Liontown can now rapidly generate cash to support production growth and shareholder returns, Bell Potter analysts Stuart Howe and James Williamson say in a note. The miner's balance sheet has been "reset" and is now net cash, they say. "Over FY26-27, LTR will continue to ramp up and de-risk Kathleen Valley," say the analysts. They reiterate a buy rating and A$2.42 target on the stock. Shares are up 1.7% at A$1.65. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)
1950 ET - Collins Foods has unlocked a key growth opportunity with the acquisition of eight stores in Germany, but execution remains key, Macquarie analysts warn. They see the Australian fast-food franchiser's latest acquisition as a step in the right direction given that it has identified Germany as one of three strategic growth pillars. A more meaningful benefit would be an acceleration in organic store count growth, they write in a note. This organic growth is key given that Collins its targeting 45-90 net new stores by 2029, they add. Macquarie trims its target price 0.9% to A$11.10 and keeps a neutral rating on the stock, which is down 0.5% at A$9.87. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
1945 ET - Life360 keeps its bull at Citi after reassuring analysts that growth is still strong in its core markets. Analyst Siraj Ahmed tells clients in a note that while the tracking-app provider's outlook in international markets is uncertain, his key takeaway after meeting with management this week is growth in both monthly active users and paid subscriptions remains strong in core markets including the U.S. He reckons that investors should focus more on this core-market performance since it is key to Life360's revenue performance. Citi keeps a buy rating on Life360's Australia-listed stock. It cuts its target price 21% to A$32.20 but Ahmed says valuation is still attractive. Shares are down 4.7% at A$19.435. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
1938 ET - Japanese stocks may fall, tracking Wall Street's losses overnight. Investors are becoming increasingly concerned that Iran is willing to continue the conflict in the Middle East. In his first official message as Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to continue fighting. Nikkei futures open 775 points lower at 53480 on the SGX. The dollar is at 159.30 yen, compared with Y159.35 late Thursday in New York. The Nikkei Stock Average closed 1.0% lower at 54452.96 on Thursday. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
1921 ET - Ulta Beauty isn't planning to offer more deals this fiscal year, even as consumers remain on the hunt for value, CEO Kecia Steelman says during a call with analysts. "We don't have any plans to accelerate promotion, but we recognize that the environment is competitive. It's dynamic," Steelman says. "There's an increased focus right now out there on value." During 2025, shoppers were focused on affordability and grew increasingly discerning with their purchases, a trend Ulta sees continuing this fiscal year, she says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1813 ET - Adobe Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen says customers want to try products for free before they buy, a potential slowdown in its efforts to monetize AI. Narayen says he doesn't want users to hit paywalls when they are engaging more deeply with Adobe's products and testing out new AI features. Once customers are more engaged with the new services, there is an opportunity to start charging them, he says. Adobe's revenue from AI-related products came in just in line with Wall Street estimates, as investors are anxious to see Adobe turn AI investments into sales returns. Shares fell 7%. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)
Rising merger and acquisition activity across the U.S. fueled a rebound in property sale-leaseback deals toward the end of last year, according to SLB Capital Advisors, an advisory firm in New York that focuses on such transactions, in which a business sells a piece of real estate and immediately leases it back. Sale leasebacks totaled $4.7 billion during last year's fourth quarter, rising roughly 56% from $3 billion in the previous quarter, SLB says. "Historically, when corporate M&A transaction activity improves, sale leasebacks follow as companies seek to unlock capital from owned real estate," SLB Managing Partner Scott Merkle says. That's particularly true of buyout targets that use sale leasebacks to shore up their balance sheets after the acquisitions, but SLB also noted that more companies are "pursuing sale leasebacks as a strategic financing tool." (luis.garcia@wsj.com; @lhvgarcia)
1750 ET - KKR took the top spot with an estimated EUR104 billion (nearly $120 billion) in managed assets in Europe, overtaking CVC, according to private markets firm Gain.pro. The data, based on total managed enterprise value, reflects American firms' increasingly turning to Europe and their focus on larger assets. Other U.S. investors that made the top 10 in the annual report were Blackstone (4), Carlyle (8) and Brookfield Asset Management (10). U.S. investors also took the lead among job creators, based on the number of employees across their portfolio companies, with CD&R at No. 1 and KKR at No. 4. (maria.armental@wsj.com; @mjarmental)
1741 ET - Australian stocks look set to continue their downward slide and round out a second straight weekly loss on turmoil in the Persian Gulf. Local stock futures are down by 0.3% ahead of Friday's open, suggesting that the S&P/ASX 200 will follow U.S. indices lower. The benchmark index is down by 2.5% so far this week, and by 6.2% so far in March, as expectations grow of longer-term disruptions to global energy supplies and multiple interest-rate rises by the Reserve Bank of Australia. Ahead of the open, gold miner Northern Star warned it could struggle to meet its annual production guidance. In the U.S., the DJIA lost 1.6%, the S&P 500 fell 1.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.8%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
1604 ET - U.S. stocks end sharply lower after a nearly 10% jump in the price of oil as Iran's new supreme leader says his country would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the U.S. Navy isn't yet ready to escort tankers through the waterway. Industrials and consumer discretionary stocks fall the most, while investors rotate in the defensive sectors like utilities and consumer staples. The trade deficit narrows more than expected in January, while tomorrow brings updates on GDP, PCE, durable goods and consumer sentiment. DJIA falls 739 points, or 1.6%, to 46677, the S&P 500 loses 1.5% to 6672 and the Nasdaq drops 1.8% to 22311. (patrick.sullivan@wsj.com)
1456 ET - Descartes can still hit its target, and BMO's Thanos Moschopoulos says that the stock's recent AI-driven selloff has been overdone, but trims his price target to $82 from $95 to reflect pressure on the sector. In a report, the analyst notes an uptick in organic growth, pointing out that organic services revenue was +8% year-over-year, an acceleration from prior quarters. He also says Descartes called out strength in trade intelligence, freight visibility and customs filings. Moschopoulos still expects the company to deliver its 10-15% annual Ebitda growth target. With 1Q guidance ahead of consensus, the stock is up 6%. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)
1433 ET - Descartes Systems CEO Edward Ryan says markets have it wrong about how artificial intelligence will affect business. Ryan says on an analyst call that he has heard commentators raise concerns that "AI could kill existing technology companies." However, Ryan says "those commentators are fundamentally misunderstanding the value technology companies bring to customers." Instead, Ryan says AI will increase the value of companies like Descartes because customers rely on far more than software code. What they're really buying is "a service that includes security, trust, stability, compliance, infrastructure, operational and customer support, workflow and domain expertise, proprietary data, connections, scale, innovation, cross-pollination of valuable ideas and, yes, technology functionality that is powered by software." (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 12, 2026 19:58 ET (23:58 GMT)
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