U.S. stock index futures were mixed on Thursday, with economy-linked banking and energy shares leading gains, while interest rate-sensitive growth names remained under pressure from the Federal Reserve's hawkish signals.
At 8:00 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 91 points, or 0.25% and S&P 500 e-minis were down 0.5points, or 0.01%.
Nasdaq 100 e-minis fell 84.5 points, or 0. 54%, dragged down by shares of Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), Amazon.com , Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) which fell between 0.6% and 1.6%.
Stocks making the biggest moves premarket:
Walgreens (WBA) – The drug store operator’s shares gained 2.9% in the premarket, after beating estimates on both the top and bottom lines for its latest quarter. Walgreens earned an adjusted $1.68 per share, compared with the $1.33 consensus estimate, boosted by demand for Covid-19 vaccinations and testing.
Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) – The housewares retailer tumbled 9.3%, then soared back over 8% in premarket trading, after reporting an adjusted quarterly loss of 25 cents per share compared with a consensus estimate of breakeven. Overall and comparable-store sales also fell below Wall Street forecasts.
Constellation Brands (STZ) – The spirits producer’s stock initially fell 2% in the premarket after reporting earnings, before recovering that loss. Constellation earned an adjusted $3.12 per share, compared with a $2.76 consensus estimate, with sales also beating forecasts.
Conagra (CAG) – Conagra fell 1% in the premarket after missing estimates by 4 cents with an adjusted quarterly profit of 64 cents per share, although revenue was slightly above forecasts. Conagra did raise its full-year sales forecast on higher prices and strong demand for its frozen foods.
Helen of Troy (HELE) – Helen of Troy shares added 2.2% in premarket trading after the household products company beat consensus estimates in its latest quarter and raised its earnings outlook. Helen of Troy reported an adjusted quarterly profit of $3.72 per share, well above the $3.11 that analysts were expecting. Results were driven by double-digit growth in housewares and beauty products.
Pfizer (PFE), BioNTech (BNTX) – The CDC has recommended the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine as a booster shot for the 12 to 15 years old age group. The agency estimates that about half the group is fully vaccinated and that about a third of those will return for the booster shot. BioNTech rose 2.5% in premarket trading, while Pfizer was little changed.
Hasbro (HAS) – The toymaker named digital gaming business head Chris Cocks as its next CEO, effective February 25. He’ll replace interim CEO Rich Stoddart, who has been filling that role since the death of Brian Goldner last October.
Coinbase (COIN) – Coinbase reversed an earlier premarket slide and rose 1%, following an upgrade to “buy” from “neutral” at BofA Securities. Coinbase initially extended yesterday’s 6.4% loss after the cryptocurrency exchange operator’s shares fell for four straight days as crypto prices tumbled, with losses accelerating following yesterday’s release of Fed meeting minutes.
Datadog (DDOG) – Datadog shares added 2.2% in the premarket after the monitoring and security platform provider announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services, which will focus on developing and tightening product alignment.
ADT (ADT) – ADT lost 2.1% in premarket trading after RBC Capital downgraded the home security products provider to “sector perform” from “outperform,” and cut its price target to $10 from $12 per share. RBC cites component and wage inflation, among other factors.
Allbirds (BIRD) – The footwear maker’s stock rallied 5.7% in the premarket after Morgan Stanley upgraded it to “overweight” from “equal-weight”. The firm said the company’s valuation is attractive relative to its peers because of a recent pullback in the stock as well as growth prospects.