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Top Midday Stories: Tesla Shares Fall Despite Q1 Beats; ServiceNow Says Iran War Weighed on Q1 Subscription Revenue

-- All three major US stock indexes were down slightly in late-morning trading Thursday, as investors continued to monitor developments in the Strait of Hormuz.

In company news, Tesla (TSLA) reported Q1 adjusted EPS late Wednesday of $0.41, up from $0.27 a year ago and above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $0.36. First-quarter revenue was $22.39 billion, up from $19.34 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $22.1 billion. The company said it intends to use Intel's (INTC) upcoming 14A process to make chips at its Terafab advanced AI project in Austin, Texas, Reuters reported late Wednesday, citing Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said late Wednesday that Tesla has delayed the rollout of its most advanced driver-assistance features in China due to regulatory issues. Lastly, the firm is creating 1,000 new jobs at its Gruenheide gigafactory in Germany by the end of June to raise weekly production by roughly 20% from Q3, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a company spokesperson. Tesla shares were about 1.8% lower.

ServiceNow (NOW) reported Q1 non-GAAP earnings late Wednesday of $0.97 per diluted share, up from $0.81 a year earlier and matching the FactSet consensus estimate. First-quarter revenue was $3.77 billion, up from $3.09 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $3.75 billion. ServiceNow said Q1 subscription revenue growth saw about a "75 basis point headwind from delayed closings of several large on-premise deals in the Middle East, due to the ongoing conflict in the region." For Q2, the company said it expects subscription revenue of $3.815 billion to $3.820 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $3.751 billion. For full-year 2026, it expects subscription revenue of $15.74 billion to $15.78 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $15.55 billion. ServiceNow shares were down 17.2%.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings Thursday of $5.44 per share, up from $5.15 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $5.25. Fiscal Q1 revenue was $11.01 billion, up from $10.36 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $10.86 billion. Thermo Fisher shares were down 10.4%.

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) said Thursday its shareholders voted to approve the adoption of the merger agreement with Paramount Skydance (PSKY). The deal is expected to close in Q3, the company said. Warner Bros. shares were down 0.4%, while Paramount shares were down 5.4%.

Texas Instruments (TXN) reported Q1 earnings late Wednesday of $1.68 per diluted share, up from $1.28 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $1.36. First-quarter revenue was $4.83 billion, up from $.07 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $4.53 billion. For Q2, the company said it expects EPS of $1.77 to $2.05 on revenue of $5 billion to $5.40 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $1.57 and $4.86 billion, respectively. Texas Instrument shares were up 18.5%.

Avis Budget Group (CAR) has seen its stock fall by over 62% in just two days after rising nearly 600% since late March, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing data from S3 Partners. Avis short sellers pocketed $2.8 billion during Wednesday's rout, countering the $2.7 billion they lost the prior three days, the report said, citing S3 Partners. Avis shares were down 47.1%.

Price: $378.26, Change: $-9.25, Percent Change: -2.39%

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