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US stocks end week on a soft note

But the S&P 500 still posted a gain for the week.

Luke Kawa

The S&P 500 fell 0.3% while the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 gave back 0.5% on Friday.

Healthcare was the best-performing S&P 500 sector ETF, and there was one big reason why:

UnitedHealth Group enjoyed its biggest daily gain since March 2020, soaring double digits after filings revealed Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway bought the stock in the second quarter while David Tepper’s Appaloosa Management added to its position in the beleaguered healthcare giant.

Tech, industrials, utilities, and consumer discretionary sectors all ended in the red.

Tesla fell amid fresh data showing its US EV sales were down 1% year on year in July.

Meanwhile, Chinese EV maker Nio surged after announcing that it’s started delivering cars to customers in the Netherlands and Norway, its first foray into the European market.

Semi equipment maker Applied Materials got clobbered after issuing ugly guidance for the current quarter.

Hims & Hers dropped after Bloomberg reported that the FTC is investigating its business practices.

Joby Aviation initially got a big boost after announcing it completed its first US test flight between two airports, but gave all that up and then some as the achievement was apparently deemed insufficiently impressive by investors.

Roblox tanked after the Louisiana attorney general filed a lawsuit against the company, calling it “the perfect place for pedophiles.”

SharpLink Gaming also tumbled after reporting a second-quarter loss.

Opendoor got a boost from the exodus of CEO and Chair Carrie Wheeler, who stepped down amid intense criticism from high-profile names within the shareholder base.

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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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