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Oscar rallies after it reiterates full-year guidance while CFO delivers encouraging commentary

Oscar Health rose more than 5% on Wednesday after it reiterated its annual guidance at the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference and delivered positive color on how utilization trends (that is, demand for health care) are evolving.

“We saw utilization trends moderating each month throughout the second quarter, we’ve seen a continuation of that moderation to date into the third quarter, so fundamentally we’re really seeing utilization trends which have almost gotten back to what we would’ve expected for the risk in the book,” said CFO Scott Blackley. “Nothing about utilization is causing us to be anxious about the core performance of our book, which is a really good thing at this point in the year.”

Those comments early into the Q&A coincided with a jolt higher in the shares shortly after 10:15 a.m. ET.

The confirmation of its financial outlook comes after the company made a huge cut to guidance in July. Back then, Oscar said it expected to post a $250 million loss from operations for the year, compared to the $250 million of operating income it had been expecting.

Oscar and its health insurance peers that rely on federally subsidized plans have taken a big hit this year amid growing costs. Reaffirming its gloomy guidance may be good news to investors who see it as a sign that perhaps the worst is behind them.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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