All three major US stock indexes were relatively unchanged in late-morning trading Wednesday, as investors prepare for the latest decision by the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee and the earnings results of Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), all slated to be announced in the afternoon.
In company news, GE Vernova (GEV) said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Trench Group from Triton Partners for $9 billion. The deal for the high-voltage grid equipment maker will be funded equally with cash and debt and is expected to close in late 2027, the company said. Separately, GE Vernova reported Q3 earnings Wednesday of $4.81 per diluted share, up from $1.64 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $4.03. Total Q3 revenue was $12.64 billion, up from $9.97 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $11.99 billion. For full-year 2026, the company expects revenue of $46.5 billion to $47.5 billion, up from its previous outlook of $45.5 billion to $46.5 billion and above the FactSet consensus of $46.33 billion. GE Vernova declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, payable Nov. 24 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 27. GE Vernova shares were down 2.1% around midday.
Wendy's (WEN) has received a $1.4 billion acquisition offer from a group led by Trian Fund Management, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Trian-led group has offered to pay $7.35 per share in cash, the report said. Wendy's shares were up 15.2%.
Vertiv (VRT) reported Q3 adjusted diluted EPS Wednesday of $2.21, up from $1.24 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $1.82. Third-quarter revenue was $4.31 billion, up from $2.68 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $3.75 billion. For Q4, the company expects adjusted diluted EPS of $2.22 to $2.28, above the FactSet consensus of $2.21. It expects Q4 revenue of $4.31 billion to $4.51 billion, compared to the FactSet consensus of $4.31 billion. For the full year, Vertiv expects adjusted diluted EPS of $7.10 to $7.20 on revenue of $14.45 billion to $14.85 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $6.73 and $14.00 billion, respectively. Vertiv shares were up 13%.
Boston Scientific (BSX) reported Q3 adjusted earnings Wednesday of $0.73 per share, down from $0.75 a year earlier but above the FactSet consensus of $0.72. Third-quarter revenue was $5.14 billion, up from $5.07 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $5.06 billion. For Q4, the company expects adjusted EPS of $0.77 to $0.79, below the FactSet consensus of $0.83, and it expects revenue to fall 1% to 3%. For the full year, Boston Scientific expects adjusted EPS of $3.16 to $3.18 and revenue growth of about 4.25%. Analysts polled by FactSet expect adjusted EPS of $3.22. Boston Scientific shares were down 6.7%.
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