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Philip Morris sinks on signs of cracks in Zyn biz, despite cheery earnings report

Investors are worried Zyn sales may have hit their peak.

J. Edward Moreno

Philip Morris International hit the skids on Tuesday after management reported signs of cracks in its Zyn business, despite an otherwise cheery earnings report for its latest quarter.

At first glance, the results didn’t appear to show a decline in the Zyn business that investors have been fearing. But on a call with analysts, Chief Financial Officer Emmanuel Babeau said the company leaned heavily on promotions during the quarter and expects Zyn shipments to slow in the current quarter. In its previous quarterly update, PMI had reported its first sequential decline in nicotine pouch shipments ever.

Philip Morris International shares fell about 7% on Tuesday morning. They’re still up about 20% for the year.

For the quarter, the company reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.24, compared to the $2.09 analysts polled by FactSet were expecting. It also reported revenue of $10.8 billion, higher than the $10.6 billion the Street was penciling in. The company shipped 224.6 million cans of nicotine pouches in its most recent quarter, up 36% from the same period last year.

PMI also boosted the low end of its annual guidance, saying it now expects to report an adjusted annual profit of $7.46 to $7.56 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $7.43 to $7.56.

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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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