PLBY News & Events

The major averages were lower near noon, with the Dow dropping over 400 points as traders weigh shifting oil prices and a key inflation report. Markets are trading cautiously amid volatile energy prices and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.Oil prices, which spiked above $100 and briefly approached $120 earlier in the week amid fears of disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, have retreated significantly and are now trading below $90 after a coordinated release of emergency reserves. The International Energy Agency has agreed to release roughly 400M barrels from global strategic stockpiles in an effort to stabilize energy markets following the conflict-driven supply shock.U.S. forces sunk a number of Iranian ships, including 16 minelayers, on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that a bulk carrier reported their vessel being hit by an unknown projectile near the Strait of Hormuz and two other incidents were also reported on Wednesday morning. Such developments have reinforced the fragility of global energy supply routes and kept risk sentiment unstable.Traders are also reacting to inflation data that showed consumer prices rising in February. The consumer price index was up 0.3% on a month-over-month basis and up 2.4% compared to last year, both of which matched consensus.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:The International Energy Agency members have agreed to releasedue to war in the Middle EastOraclereportedand provided an upbeat outlook for Q4Nvidia$2B in Nebiusas part of a strategic partnershipCampbell'sreportedand cut its FY26 guidanceCintasUniFirstfor $310 per share in cash and stock2. WALL STREET CALLS:Niketo Overweight at Barclays on operational progressJPMorganOracle, sees better risk/reward post selloffOptimum Communicationsto Market Perform at Raymond JamesYextto Neutral at Roth CapitalWells Fargo sees "too much risk,"of Harley-Davidsonwith an Underweight rating3. AROUND THE WEB:MasterCardhas launched a new Crypto Partner Program that brings together more than 85 companies from across the digital asset and payments industries, an effort to link blockchain technology more directly with the infrastructure that underpins global commerce, CoinDesk saysEli Lillyplans to invest $3B in China over the next decade, the drugmaker said in a Chinese-language statement on Wednesday, Reuters saysPlayboyhas named Phillip Picardi as chief brand officer and editor in chief as the publisher seeks to reestablish relevance in the modern era, Adweek reportsDue to the ongoing Qatar LNG shutdown, Shellhas declared force majeure on its liquefied natural gas contracts with some of its clients in Asia, Bloomberg saysAMDCEO Lisa Su will meet with SamsungChairman Jay Lee in South Korea to discuss cooperation on securing supplies of high-bandwidth memory to use in AI chipsets, Reuters reports4. MOVERS:Ocugengains after Oppenheimerof the stock with an Outperform ratingAunaincreases in New York afterand providing guidance for FY26Velo3Dhigher after CEO Arun Jeldi acquired afrom an existing debt holder and converted it into sharesKosmosfalls after announcing aHarmony Goldlower afterfor the first half of 20265. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Target Hospitality, with EPS and revenue beating consensusBrainswayand provided guidance for FY26Sprinklr, with CEO Rory Read commenting that the fourth quarter "capped a pivotal year in our transformation"Kamadaand reaffirms FY26 guidanceServe Roboticsand provided guidance for FY26INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was down 0.86%, or 410.41, to 47,296.10, the Nasdaq was down 0.11%, or 23.89, to 22,673.22, and the S&P 500 was down 0.32%, or 20.89, to 6,759.91.

Playboy (PLBY) has named Phillip Picardi as chief brand officer and editor in chief as the publisher seeks to reestablish relevance in the modern era, Adweek's Mark Stenberg reports, citing Picardi. Most recently, he served as CBO at Weight Watchers (WW). "Our moment right now is both extremely prudish and extremely pornographic," Picardi told Adweek. "The idea that we need a publication that is able to explain sexuality as a cultural force, especially as our younger folks are facing a sex recession and loneliness epidemic-it felt like the right challenge."

Playboy (PLBY) has announced that David Miller has been appointed President, Media & Brand, to drive the next phase of the Company's growth. Miller joins Playboy from The Walt Disney Company (DIS), where he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of National Geographic Media, with full P&L responsibility across global editorial, digital, print, and social operations.

The major averages closed broadly higher in a bounce-back from yesterday's declines, though sentiment remains fragile with tariff worries and AI-related risk aversion still front and center. Investors continue to digest more and more AI news - including AMD's newest GPU partnership with Meta as well as Anthropic's latest partnerships with companies like Intuit and DocuSign - while staying alert for any market-moving news coming out of tonight's State of the Union address.Looking to commodities, gold dipped following yesterday's sharp gains as the "safe haven" asset continues seesawing in value. Oil prices were mostly flat ahead of API crude data set for release this afternoon.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Home Depotreported, provided its outlook for FY26, and increased its quarterly dividendAMDand Metaannounced anto deploy 6-gigawatts of AMD GPUsBed Bath & Beyondreportedand provided FY26 revenue guidanceIntuitand Anthropic announced aWarner Bros. Discoveryreceived afrom Paramount2. WALL STREET CALLS:Qualcommto Buy at Loop Capital and to Equal Weight at Wells FargoMorgan StanleyBooking, says "just as important in agentic world"Comcastto Underperform at BNP Paribas on fiber headwindsBarclaysGossamer Bioto Underweight from OverweightHims & Hersto Neutral at BTIG after "disappointing" Q4 report3. AROUND THE WEB:Unityis working with an adviser on a potential sale of its China business, Bloomberg reportsOmnicomis planning to eliminate an additional 94 roles in the U.S. starting March 1, which comes following its $13B November acquisition of Interpublic Group and 4,000 related redundancies, Adweek saysIrenic Capital Management, holding roughly a 2% stake in Ralliant, is urging the precision technology company to accelerate stock buybacks, reduce costs, and increase focus on its defense and electronics business, according to sources familiar with the private discussions, Reuters reportsHondahas suspended operations at its facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, while employees at other manufacturers work from home, after a wave of violence was unleashed by the killing of one of the country's most wanted cartel leaders, FT saysJPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon said fears of AI are overblown, noting the company will use the technology to its advantage, WSJ reports4. MOVERS:Larimar Therapeuticsadvanced after the FDA grantedto nomlabofuspPayPal (PYPL) rose after Bloomberg reported that Stripe isof all or part of the companyClarivateand Vir Biotechnologyclosed higher afterShoals Technologyfell afterand entering an agreement with ON.energyXometrydeclined afterand appointing a new CEO5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Chewybacked itsPlayboyreported, with CEO Ben Kohn commenting, "Our preliminary fourth quarter results demonstrate the significant progress we have made executing our strategic transformation"NRG Energy, with EPS and revenue beating consensusHarmony Biosciencesand backed its guidance for FY26FISand provided guidance for Q1 and FY26INDEXES:The Dow rose 370.44, or 0.76%, to 49,174.50, the Nasdaq gained 236.41, or 1.04%, to 22,863.68, and the S&P 500 advanced 52.32, or 0.77%, to 6,890.07.