Check out the companies making headlines before the bell Thursday:
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) — The pharmacy operator fell more than 3% in the premarket on weaker-than-expected results for its fiscal third quarter. Walgreens reported earnings per share of 83 cents, well below a FactSet estimate of $1.19 per share. The company’s fiscal-year earnings guidance also disappointed.
DocuSign (DOCU) — Wedbush hiked its price target on DocuSign to $240 per share from $165 per share. The new price target implies an upside of 16.3% from Wednesday’s close of $206.35 over the next 12 months. “We continue to believe DOCU’s deal flow is holding up well/stronger than expected in this Covid-19 pandemic environment which bodes well for strong underlying metrics/headline numbers during FY2Q,” a Wedbush analyst said.
Alibaba (BABA) — Needham initiated coverage of the Chinese e-commerce giant with a “buy” rating and a price target of $275 per share. The firm cited Alibaba’s “well-established ecosystem” and “strategic position in the e-commerce value chain” as reasons for the rating and price target, which implies a 12-month upside of 6.7%.
Regeneron (REGN) — Regeneron shares were upgraded to “buy” from “hold” by an analyst at SunTrust, who also raised his 12-month price target on the stock to $750 a share from $400 a share. The analyst said Regeneron’s base business has “demonstrated strength in a Covid environment.” Regeneron traded 1.2% higher in the premarket.
Carnival (CCL) — Shares of the cruise operator climbed more than 5% after the company’s German subsidiary, AIDA Cruises, said it will restart vacation trips in August.
Square (SQ) — Square dropped around 1% in the premarket after a Cowen analyst downgraded the stock to “market perform” from “outperform.” The analyst noted Square’s run-up of more than 200% since mid-March is “too much, too fast” and that the stock has priced in all the good news from its Cash App business.
Cisco Systems (CSCO) — Morgan Stanley upgraded Cisco to “overweight” from “equal weight,” and hiked its 12-month price target on the stock to $54 per share, noting the company’s earnings multiple discount to the S&P 500 is at a 10-year high. “While macro does weigh on Cisco currently … we think the valuation gap should close to a more normal 3-4x as earnings prove more resilient than investor expectations,” Morgan Stanley said.
Six Flags (SIX) — Six Flags jumped more than 5% after an analyst at Janney upgraded the amusement-park company to “buy” from “neutral,” noting the stock’s valuation is attractive at current levels. The analyst also highlighted Six Flags’ exposure to some of the biggest U.S. markets as a positive.
BioXcel Therapeutics (BTAI) — The biopharmaceutical company and Massachusetts General Hospital reached a deal in which the hospital will provide a BioXcel investigational drug to coronavirus patients that may require calming. BioXcel shares rose more than 4% on the news.
