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Top Midday Stories: Macy's Shares Fall Despite Strong Earnings; Amazon Reportedly Collaborates With OpenAI on ChatGPT Advertising

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All three major US stock indexes were down in late-morning trading Thursday, as oil prices continued to rise amid the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran.

In company news, Macy's (M) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings Thursday of $0.63 per diluted share, up from $0.35 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $0.37. Fiscal Q2 net sales were $4.87 billion, up from $4.81 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $4.81 billion. For fiscal Q3, the company expects an adjusted diluted loss of $0.23 to $0.19 on net sales of $4.65 billion to $4.70 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect an adjusted loss of $0.06 on sales of $4.65 billion. For fiscal 2026, Macy's expects adjusted diluted EPS of $2.15 to $2.35, up from its prior outlook of $2 to $2.20 and compared with the FactSet consensus of $2.24. The company expects fiscal 2026 net sales of $21.675 billion to $21.825 billion, up from its previous guidance of $21.50 billion to $21.75 billion and compared with the FactSet consensus of $21.72 billion. Macy's shares were down 2.9% around midday.

Amazon (AMZN) Ads, the technology giant's advertising arm, has entered into a partnership with OpenAI through which it will let its advertisers place ads in ChatGPT, according to media reports. Amazon shares were up 0.1%.

Cooper Companies (COO) reported fiscal Q3 adjusted EPS late Wednesday of $1.15, up from $1.10 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $1.12. Fiscal Q3 revenue was $1.07 billion, up from $1.06 billion a year ago but below the FactSet consensus of $1.10 billion. For fiscal Q4, the company expects adjusted EPS of $1.05 to $1.09 on revenue of $1.06 billion to $1.08 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $1.19 and $1.11 billion, respectively. For fiscal 2026, Cooper expects adjusted EPS of $4.51 to $4.55 on revenue of $4.23 billion to $4.25 billion. Previously, it expected adjusted EPS of $4.58 to $4.66 on revenue of $4.29 billion to $4.32 billion. Analysts expect $4.63 and $4.31 billion, respectively. Cooper shares were down 13.6%.

Bending Spoons (BSP) said Thursday it has agreed to buy Miro at an enterprise value of about $1.36 billion. The all-cash deal implies an equity value of $1.79 billion, the company said. Shares of Bending Spoons were up 8.4%.

Redwood Trust (RWT) plans to offer $150 million of convertible senior notes due 2030 in a private offering to institutional buyers, the company said Thursday. Redwood shares were down 17.8%.

Grab (GRAB) is in talks to potentially acquire a majority interest in Singapore-based buy-now-pay-later firm Atome Financial, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The acquisition could price Atome at over $2 billion, the report said, citing the people. Grab shares were down 0.5%.

Price: $20.82, Change: $-0.70, Percent Change: -3.23%

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Cooper Companies Fiscal Q3 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Q4 Guidance Set

Cooper Companies (COO) reported fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings late Wednesday of $1.15 per diluted share, up from $1.10 a year earlier.Analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.12.Revenue for the three months ended July 31 was $1.07 billion, up from $1.06 billion a year earlier.Analysts expected $1.10 billion.For fiscal Q4, the company expects adjusted EPS of $1.05 to $1.09 on revenue of $1.06 billion to $1.08 billion. Analysts expect EPS of $1.19 on revenue of $1.11 billion.The company now expects full-year fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $4.51 to $4.55 on revenue of $4.23 billion to $4.25 billion. It earlier expected adjusted EPS of $4.58 to $4.66 on revenue of $4.29 billion to $4.32 billion.Analysts expect EPS of $4.63 on revenue of $4.31 billion.Separately, the company said it authorized an expansion of its share buyback program to $3 billion from $2 billion.It also completed its strategic review related to the sale of CooperSurgical, and concluded that shareholders would be better served by continued ownership than by a divestment at this time.

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AeroVironment Fiscal Q1 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise

AeroVironment (AVAV) reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings late Wednesday of $0.59 per diluted share, up from $0.32 a year earlier.Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $0.22.Revenue for the quarter ended Aug. 1 rose to $480.5 million from $454.7 million a year earlier.Analysts expected $451.9 million.For fiscal year 2027, the company maintained its revenue guidance at $2.13 billion to $2.23 billion and adjusted EPS forecast at $3.02 to $3.34.Analysts expect adjusted EPS of $3.23 on revenue of $2.19 billion.Shares of the company were up more than 3% in after-hours activity.

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Sector Update: Financial Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

Financial stocks were lower in late Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index shedding 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) easing 0.4%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 1.2%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) declined 1%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 0.2% to $78,193, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 3.3 basis points to 4.84%.In economic news, the US Treasury Department plans to buy back up to $6 billion of government debt, CNBC reported. The move triples the normal buyback operation, following an announcement Aug. 19 from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the department would at least double the normal amount for already-issued securities.Redbook US same-store sales rose by 8.3% from a year earlier in the week ended Sept. 5 after a 9.6% year-over-year increase in the previous week. Redbook noted positive customer responses to Labor Day promotions. Sales were driven mainly by back-to-school demand and seasonal apparel. Discount stores saw strong food sales ahead of the long holiday weekend.In corporate news, Patria Investments (PAX) shares fell 3% after BofA Securities downgraded the stock to underperform from neutral.UnitedHealth (UNH) sold an interest in some of its Optum Health operations in Florida to TPG (TPG), Bloomberg reported. TPG shares were shedding 3.9%.Blackstone (BX) is seeking to sell medical-grade skincare company ZO Skin Health with a valuation of around $2 billion, Reuters reported. Blackstone shares were falling 3.4%.Barclays (BCS) is leading a group of lenders preparing a 2.4 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) financing package to support Lone Star Funds' acquisition of industrial-products manufacturer ContiTech, Bloomberg reported. Barclays shares were down 1.3%.

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