Pre-Bell | Stock Futures Fall After Fitch Downgrades U.S. Rating; AMD Gains on Earnings Beat

U.S. stock futures fell Wednesday after Fitch downgraded the long-term rating for the U.S. and traders continued to assess the latest batch of second-quarter earnings results.

Private sector companies added far more jobs than expected in July, pushed higher by a boom in leisure and hospitality jobs, payroll processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.

Job gains for the month totaled 324,000, driven by a 201,000 jump in hotels, restaurants, bars and affiliated businesses. That total was well above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 175,000, though it marked a decrease from the downwardly revised 455,000 in June.

Market Snapshot

At 8:20 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 102 points, or 0.29%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 21 points, or 0.46%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 107.25 points, or 0.68%.

Pre-Market Movers

$CVS Health(CVS)$ — Shares of the retail pharmacy giant rose 1.8% premarket after the company posted strong earnings and revenue for the second quarter. CVS reported earnings of $2.21 per share on revenue of $88.9 billion. Wall Street analysts expected $2.11 per share on earnings of $86.5 billion, according to Refinitiv.

$Kraft Heinz(KHC)$ — The food and beverage stock dipped 1% before the bell after reporting mixed quarterly results that fell short of Wall Street’s revenue expectations. Kraft Heinz posted adjusted earnings of 79 cents a share, excluding items, on revenues of $6.72 billion.

$Norwegian Cruise Line(NCLH)$ — The stock fell 3.2% in premarket trading after the company posted its earnings results on Tuesday, which indicated weaker-than-expected guidance for the third quarter. The cruise ship operator topped Wall Street’s estimates, however. On Wednesday, Susquehanna downgraded its rating on Norwegian shares to neutral from positive. It maintained its price target of $17, which suggests a 12.4% downside from Tuesday’s close. 

$SolarEdge Technologies(SEDG)$ — The solar stock fell 13.4% after the company missed revenue expectations in its second quarter, reporting $991 million compared to the expected $992 million from analysts polled by Refinitiv. The company beat earnings estimates, however, coming out higher than the $2.52 per-share estimate at an adjusted $2.62 per share.

$Freshworks(FRSH)$ — Shares of the software-as-a-service company popped more than 16% after Freshworks posted second-quarter revenue of $145.1 million, beating analysts’ expectations of $141.4 million as gauged by FactSet. The company also reported earnings per share of 7 cents, surpassing Wall Street’s estimate of 2 cents. Canaccord Genuity analyst David Hynes upgraded the stock to buy from hold and increased his price target to $25 from $15, citing Freshworks’ second-quarter operating margins and improved marketing and sales efficiency.

$AMD(AMD)$ — The chip stock climbed more than 2% in premarket trading after the company posted better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and revenue. The company’s sales forecast for the third quarter was weaker than expected, however.

$Match Group(MTCH)$ — The Tinder and Match parent jumped 10% on a strong second-quarter earnings report. Match beat Wall Street expectations for both the top and bottom lines and said current-quarter revenue should come in above the consensus estimate of analysts, according to Refinitiv. BTIG upgraded the stock to buy from neutral following the report.

$Humana(HUM)$ — The health insurer added 5.6% after reporting second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $8.94, topping the $8.76 anticipated by analysts, per StreetAccount. The company also forecasted its Medicare Advantage business will grow by about 825,000 members this year.

$Starbucks(SBUX)$ — Shares of the coffee chain dipped more than 1% after Starbucks reported lighter-than-expected sales for its fiscal third quarter. The company reported $1 in adjusted earnings per share on $9.17 billion of revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were looking for 95 cents on earnings per share but $9.29 billion of revenue. The miss came even as same store sales boomed in China.

Market News

Yum Brands Beats Quarterly Results Estimates on KFC Boost

$Yum Brands (YUM)$ topped market estimates for quarterly results on Wednesday, as cheaper meals and promotional offers at its KFC restaurants boosted demand and overshadowed lackluster traffic at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

The company has attracted more lower-income consumers who have been most hit by inflation through aggressive promotions and value meal deals, while an array of new menu item launches across its brands have also helped boost traffic.

Phillips 66 Joins Rival Refiners With Sharp Quarterly Profit Drop

$Phillips 66(PSX)$ reported a sharp fall in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, the latest U.S. refiner to bear the brunt of a decline in margins from last year's sky-high levels when Russia's invasion of Ukraine squeezed fuel supplies.

Refiners' margins were beefed up last year as a rebound in fuel demand collided with a supply crunch caused by pandemic-era refinery closings and disruptions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kraft Heinz Misses Quarterly Sales Estimates As Higher Prices Dent Volumes

$Kraft Heinz (KHC)$ missed quarterly sales estimates on Wednesday as inflation-hit customers bought fewer packaged meals and condiments, discouraged by higher product prices.

U.S. packaged food makers have kept their product prices higher for more than two years to shield their margins from a surge in costs of labor, raw materials and transportation, but the benefits are starting to fade as consumers grow more price-conscious.

During the quarter, Kraft's volumes fell 7 percentage points from last year as customers hunted for cheaper alternatives for its ready-to-eat meals and snacks, sauces and cooking essentials, and traded down to private-label brands.

Grains Trader Bunge Lifts 2023 Earnings View After Q2 Profit Beat

Bunge Ltd raised its full-year earnings outlook on Wednesday after improved processing margins helped the agri-trader post a second-quarter profit above Wall Street estimates.

Shares of the company were up 2.3% in premarket trading.

Bunge forecast full-year adjusted profit to be at least $11.75 per share on an improving margin outlook, up from guidance of $11 a share previously and above the average analyst estimate of $11.60 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

Emerson Electric's Stock Rises After Quarterly Results Beat Estimates

$Emerson Electric(EMR)$’s stock on Wednesday rose 4.8% in premarket trading after the industrial technology and engineering company’s fiscal Q3 results beat Wall Street’s estimates.

The company’s profit of $9.35 billion, or $16.28 a share, included a gain of $8.76 billion from discontinued operations.

Earnings from continuing operations more than doubled to $592 million, or $1.03 a share, from $226 million, or $0.38 a share, a year earlier.