CLB News & Events

The major averages closed lower following yesterday's gains. The bounce yesterday was driven by headlines suggesting a de-escalation with Iran, but that narrative is already fraying. Oil has turned higher again, climbing back above $90 for the WTI benchmark as optimism fades and the reality of disrupted supply through the Strait of Hormuz reasserts itself.Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon intends to deploy 3,000 Airborne U.S. soldiers to the Middle East. A written order to deploy the unit is expected later Wednesday, officials told The Journal.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Estee Lauderconfirmed it is inwith Puig BrandsSmithfield Foodsreportedand provided FY26 revenue guidanceNetgearsurged following reports that the FCC hasSumitomo Mitsuiis considering a potential takeover of Jefferies,Ares Managementsaid it isin the Ares Strategic Income fund2. WALL STREET CALLS:UBSJFrogto Buy after 30% AI-driven selloffCoreWeaveat Buy at BofACitiRalph Laurento Buy on post-selloff opportunityJPMorganXencoron a lack of "needle-moving" catalystsUltragenyxto Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs3. AROUND THE WEB:OpenAI is set to raise about $10B from venture investors, Bloomberg reportsCulper Research is short Adma Biologics, saying the company's reported growth is "a fiction"Microsoftto rent data center project in Texas dropped by Oracle, Bloomberg saysSouth Korean AI startup Upstage is in talks to acquire 10K AMDMI355 chips, in a bid to "diversify to other chips" as "we have a lot of Nvidiachips," Bloomberg reportsPalantirhas been awarded a three-month contract by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority to analyze sensitive internal data in an effort to combat financial crime, sparking concerns about the U.S. firm's expanding role in the British state, The Guardian says4. MOVERS:Applied Optoelectronicsincreased after receiving afrom a hyperscale customerSM Energygained after Truistcoverage of the stock with a Buy ratingHesaislipped afterand providing guidance for Q1Ocugenfell afterfrom its ArMaDa trial of OCU410Trade Deskwas lower afterthat Omnicomis auditing Trade Desk's fees5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Core & Mainand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26, with CEO Mark Witkowski commenting, "Fiscal 2025 marked our 16th consecutive year of sales growth"Concentrix, with EPS missing consensusAchieve Life Sciences, with EPS in-line with consensusCore LaboratoriesprovidedNeurogene, with EPS higher year-over-yearINDEXES:The Dow fell 84.41, or 0.18%, to 46,124.06, the Nasdaq lost 184.86, or 0.84%, to 21,761.90, and the S&P 500 declined 24.63, or 0.37%, to 6,556.37.

The major averages were mixed near noon, with the Dow and S&P 500 inching higher following yestereday's gains. The bounce yesterday was driven by headlines suggesting a de-escalation with Iran, but that narrative is already fraying. Oil has turned higher again, climbing back above $90 for the WTI benchmark as optimism fades and the reality of disrupted supply through the Strait of Hormuz reasserts itself.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Estee Lauderconfirmed it iswith Puig BrandsSmithfield Foodsreportedand provided FY26 revenue guidanceNetgearsurged following reports that the FCC hasSumitomo Mitsuiis considering a potential takeover of Jefferies,Ares Managementsaid it isin the Ares Strategic Income fund2. WALL STREET CALLS:UBSJFrogto Buy after 30% AI-driven selloffCoreWeaveat Buy at BofACitiRalph Laurento Buy on post-selloff opportunityJPMorganXencoron a lack of "needle-moving" catalystsUltragenyxto Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs3. AROUND THE WEB:Microsoft (MSFT) to rent data center project in Texas dropped by Oracle, Bloomberg saysSouth Korean AI startup Upstage is in talks to acquire 10K AMDMI355 chips, in a bid to "diversify to other chips" as "we have a lot of Nvidiachips," Bloomberg reportsPalantirhas been awarded a three-month contract by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority to analyze sensitive internal data in an effort to combat financial crime, sparking concerns about the U.S. firm's expanding role in the British state, The Guardian saysNintendohas cut back on the production of the Switch 2 after lower-than-expected demand for the $450 gaming console during the year-end holiday season, Bloomberg reportsGooglehas signed agreements with five U.S. electric utilities to curtail its electricity use during peak demand, Reuters says4. MOVERS:Applied Optoelectronicsincreases after receiving afrom a hyperscale customerSM Energygains after Truistof the stock with a Buy ratingHesaislips afterand providing guidance for Q1ImmunityBiolower after the FDA sent arelated to the promotion of AnktivaOcugenfalls after announcingfrom its ArMaDa trial of OCU4105. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Core & Mainand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26, with CEO Mark Witkowski commenting, "Fiscal 2025 marked our 16th consecutive year of sales growth"Concentrix, with EPS missing consensusAchieve Life Sciences, with EPS in-line with consensusCore LaboratoriesNeurogene, with EPS higher year-over-yearINDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was up 0.31%, or 142.18, to 46,350.65, the Nasdaq was down 0.27%, or 59.83, to 21,886.93, and the S&P 500 was up 0.13%, or 8.57, to 6,589.57.

Hopes for de-escalation in the Middle East conflict helped restore positive sentiment as President Trump's Truth Social post that strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure would be postponed after "productive" talks with Tehran boosted equities and dented geopolitical premium in the energy markets.  Consumer Discretionary and Materials were the best performing areas on the benchmark S&P 500, though all 11 sectors ended Monday in the positive - including Energy in spite of Oil prices falling back below $90 per barrel.  In the opening hour of the evening session, S&P 500 futures  are up another 0.2% and Nasdaq 100 is trading up 0.3% while WTI Crude is just off the closing lows above $89.  In precious metals, risk aversion which had boosted USD and punished Gold and Silver prices has reversed, and the two contracts are trading firmer around $4.435 and $70 per ounce respectively.Among the key headlines of the afterhours session continued to remind investors that the primary source of concern are still present.  Core Labsissued a below-consensus Q1 pre-announcement as the company cited regional instability in the Middle East, including client-driven project delays, travel constraints, and supply-chain disruptions. Private Credit worries also cropped up via reports from Bloomberg stating that Apollo Globalhas joined some of the other asset managers in capping private equity redemptions due to high volume of requests by investors to liquidate their positions.Check out this evening's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.HIGHER AFTER EARNINGS -BARKup 6.4%Bionano Genomicsup 4.1%DOWN AFTER EARNINGS -Core Laboratoriesdown 1.8% after Q1 pre-announcementAardvark Therapeuticsdown 1.5%ALSO LOWER -Comtech Telecommunicationsdown 3.9% after equity offeringApollo Global Managementdown 2.1% after Bloomberg report of capped private equity redemptions

Sees Q1 revenue $119M-$123M, two estimates $125.4M. The company states: "At this time, due to regional instability, including client-driven project delays, travel constraints, and supply-chain disruptions, the Company expects first quarter 2026 revenue and earnings to be below its previously issued guidance provided on February 4, 2026. Changes in client activity levels across the Middle East are directly impacting operations in the countries where Core Lab operates. Damage to oil refining infrastructure and storage terminals has created capacity limitations, forcing operators to shut in or limit oil production. These effects have extended to regional supply chains and the maritime transportation of crude oil and refined products-particularly through the Strait of Hormuz-resulting in logistical constraints and delays in project execution. The impact has been more pronounced in Reservoir Description due to its unique role in supporting regional client studies, crude oil assay testing, and reservoir rock and fluid characterization, all of which rely on predictable field access, sample movement, and laboratory operations. Production Enhancement has been comparatively less affected; however, shipments of energetics products into certain parts of the region have been delayed or temporarily suspended."