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Warner Bros. shares jump as Paramount Skydance reportedly preps a $71 billion bid with Arab sovereign wealth funds

Shares of HBO and CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery are climbing on Tuesday on a report that rival Paramount Skydance is prepping a $71 billion bid for the entertainment giant.

According to Variety, Paramount would front $50 billion for the deal, with $7 billion each coming from three Arab nations’ wealth funds (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE).

Variety reports that each fund would receive a minority stake in Warner Bros. as well as “an IP, a movie premiere, a movie shoot.” Warner Bros. Discovery shares jumped 6% following Variety’s report, before paring its gains after Paramount called the news “categorically inaccurate.”

WBD is said to have already rejected three previous offers from Paramount. The company previously set a deadline of November 20 (this Thursday) to hear bids from interested parties — a group that reportedly also includes Comcast and Netflix.

The Saudi Arabian wealth fund, PIF, made headlines in September when it struck a $55 billion take-private deal for the gaming giant Electronic Arts — the largest leveraged buyout in corporate history.

Variety reports that each fund would receive a minority stake in Warner Bros. as well as “an IP, a movie premiere, a movie shoot.” Warner Bros. Discovery shares jumped 6% following Variety’s report, before paring its gains after Paramount called the news “categorically inaccurate.”

WBD is said to have already rejected three previous offers from Paramount. The company previously set a deadline of November 20 (this Thursday) to hear bids from interested parties — a group that reportedly also includes Comcast and Netflix.

The Saudi Arabian wealth fund, PIF, made headlines in September when it struck a $55 billion take-private deal for the gaming giant Electronic Arts — the largest leveraged buyout in corporate history.

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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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