-- Health care stocks declined Wednesday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index down 0.4% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) shedding 0.7%.
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 1.7%.
In corporate news, AbbVie (ABBV) raised its full-year outlook on Wednesday as the biopharmaceutical company recorded better-than-expected Q1 results, driven by robust revenue growth from its Skyrizi and Rinvoq immunology drugs. Its shares rose 3.3%.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We lower our target by $15 to $250 using a narrower equity risk premium and a forward P/FFO of 15.5x, which is in line with the multifamily residential REIT average. We keep our 2026 FFO estimate at $16.15 and lower 2027's by $0.05 to $16.45 on respective revenue projections of $1.94B and $1.98B. Rental revenue is not yet rebounding to historical growth levels. Across the industry, we are seeing inflation in key operating expenses exceeding revenue growth, and this leads to modest gains in cash NOI growth Y/Y. We expect these market conditions to continue as pricing power for ESS and its peers seems to have eased. In particular, ESS has a West Coast portfolio profile that is exposed to significant job layoffs in the technology sector. In our opinion, we have not yet seen the tail risk of major announcements just released in recent weeks. ESS has the challenge of complying with strict housing guidelines in California, leading to the trust historically underperforming peers in other parts of the country.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We keep our target at $236, 13.8x our new 2027 EPS view, a discount to BIIB's five-year historical forward P/E average of 14.1x. We lower our 2026 EPS view to $15.24 from $16.14 to adjust for the impact from acquired IPR&D. We keep our 2027 EPS view at $17.16. BIIB reported a strong start to 2026, with sales of $2.5B and adjusted EPS of $3.57. We see a successful stabilization of the business after years of decline, due to a 12% Y/Y increase in the growth products portfolio. In our view, during the analyst call, management presented a clear strategic vision centered on the pending $5.6B acquisition of Apellis, expected to close in Q2, which can transform BIIB into a growth company by adding two commercial assets, Syfovre and Empaveli. We think the Apellis deal could bridge a revenue gap until 2028, when the company's late-stage pipeline matures. Via this acquisition, BIIB also gains nephrology expertise and an established infrastructure, which could set its key asset Felzartamab launch for success.
Starbucks (SBUX) is expected to maintain solid sales momentum on its turnaround strategy, though investor focus is shifting toward margin recovery in H2, UBS said in a note on Wednesday.The brokerage said strong transaction-driven comparable sales growth in Q2 reflected improvements in operations, menu innovation and updated loyalty program.Looking ahead, UBS said continued execution on initiatives such as afternoon beverage platforms, loyalty enhancements, store closures and operational improvements should support sales into H2.UBS also expects margin expansion later in the year, supported by sales leverage, cost savings and easing pressures from tariffs and coffee costs.UBS raised the price target on the stock to $105 from $100 but maintained a neutral rating.Price: $106.10, Change: $+8.82, Percent Change: +9.06%