Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Bank stocks โ All 101 stocks in the State Street SPDR S & P Bank ETF (KBE) were down Friday as the spread widened between the 2- and 10-year Treasury yield in a move known as a bear steepening that often suggests increased expectations of future inflation. A steeper yield curve can compress banks’ net interest margins, devalue assets, raise credit risk and curb loan demand. Western Alliance Bancorp is down almost 12%, Rocket Companies is off 4% and ServisFirst Bancshares is lower by nearly 5%. Fertilizer stocks โ Fertilizer stocks rallied once again on Friday, as the companies are likely to benefit from tight supplies and higher prices due to the war with Iran. More than a third of raw materials used in fertilizer travel through the Strait of Hormuz. CF Industries climbed 5%, hitting a fresh 52-week high and putting it on pace for a record close. Week to date, shares have surged about 17%. Intrepid Potash surged 9%, also hitting a 52-week high. Its week-to-date gains are likely to tally almost 17%. Nutrien shares added 2%, but the stock is only up 1% this week. United Airlines โ Shares tumbled nearly 4% after CEO Scott Kirby said the recent spike in fuel prices since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran last weekend will have a “meaningful” impact on United’s first-quarter results. Shares of Delta Air Lines lost 4% and Southwest Airlines dropped 6%, both falling in sympathy. Cruise operators Norwegian and Carnival also fell about 6% each. U.S. oil futures are up more than 34% on the week, and jet fuel and diesel are petroleum distillates. BlackRock โ The investment manager founded by Larry Fink dropped more than 6% after BlackRock limited redemptions in a private credit fund due to a surge in outflows. BlackRock’s HPS Corporate Lending Fund received withdrawal requests representing 9.3% of of the fund’s net asset value. Gap โ The apparel maker’s stock slid about 13% after Gap reported fourth-quarter earnings of 45 cents per share, just shy of analysts’ forecast of 46 cents a share, per LSEG. Gap’s revenue came in line with expectations at $4.24 billion. Marvell Technology โ The company, which makes integrated circuits and semiconductor products, saw shares surge 21% on the back of strong quarterly results led by artificial intelligence demand. For its fourth quarter, Marvell reported adjusted earnings of 80 cents per share on revenue of $2.22 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG were expecting earnings of 79 cents per share and revenue of $2.21 billion. Management said Marvell expects its year-over-year revenue growth to increase each quarter in fiscal 2027. Trucking stocks โ As tensions grew overnight around the U.S.-Iran conflict, pushing oil prices above $90 a barrel, trucking stocks tumbled. Higher prices for diesel could put pressure on company profits. SAIA dropped more than 9%, and Old Dominion fell about 8%. RXO lost more than 11%. Day One Biopharmaceuticals โ Shares of the biopharma company surged more than 65% after it agreed to be acquired by French drugmaker Servier for $2.5 billion. Servier struck the deal to bolster its portfolio of brain tumor treatments. Day One’s Ojemda is the only monotherapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat low-grade glioma, the most common childhood brian tumor. Samsara โ Shares jumped 15 % after the telematics software company reported rosy guidance. Samsara sees full-year adjusted earnings ranging from 65 cents to 69 cents per share and revenue between $1.97 billion and $1.98 billion. The LSEG consensus called for 59 cents per share in earnings and $1.92 billion in revenue. The company also said in a press release it’s now using AI to automate workflows and enhance operations. Guidewire Software โ Shares gained 4% after the software company for property and casualty insurers posted second quarter-results that exceeded expectations. Guidewire Software posted earnings of $1.17 per share, on an adjusted basis, on revenue of $359.1 million. Analysts polled by LSEG anticipated earnings of 77 cents on revenue of $342 million. Cooper Companies โ The medical device company shed 3% after reporting revenue of $1.02 billion for the fourth quarter that matched, but did not top, analysts’ expectations. However, Cooper raised guidance for the full year, calling for adjusted earnings of $4.58 to $4.66 per share. That tops the FactSet consensus for $4.52 per share. Profit in the first quarter came in ahead of the Street’s estimates, as well. โ CNBC’s Pia Singh, Fred Imbert, Scott Schnipper, Christina Cheddar-Berk and Darla Mercado contributed reporting
