Top Midday Stories: Apollo Acquires EasyJet in Deal Valued at $7.68 Billion; Honeywell Aerospace Shares Fall Following Guidance Cut
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down in late-morning trading Thursday, while the the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were up slightly, as investors watch for developments in the process to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.In company news, Apollo Global Management's (APO) Eagle Bidco and EasyJet have reached an agreement through which the Apollo fund will acquire the airline for 7.15 British pounds ($9.63) per share in cash, according to a regulatory filing with the London Stock Exchange. The deal values EasyJet at 5.7 billion British pounds, according to the filing. Apollo shares were down 1.2% around midday.Honeywell Aerospace (HONA) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted EPS late Wednesday of $1.87, down from $2.75 a year earlier. Fiscal Q2 revenue was $4.52 billion, up from $4.29 billion a year ago but below the FactSet consensus of $4.61 billion. For fiscal 2026, the company expects organic growth of 4% to 5%, down from its prior outlook of 7% to 9%. Analysts polled by FactSet expect full-year revenue of $18.91 billion. Honeywell Aerospace shares were down 20.3%.Sandisk (SNDK) reported fiscal Q4 adjusted earnings late Wednesday of $39.25 per diluted share, up from $0.29 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $34.96. Fiscal Q4 revenue was $8.97 billion, up from $1.90 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $8.48 billion. For fiscal Q1, the company expects adjusted EPS of $44 to $46 on revenue of $10.30 billion to $10.80 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $44.72 and $10.82 billion, respectively. Sandisk also said its board approved a share buyback expansion by an additional $14 billion, bringing the total remaining authorization to $15.5 billion. Sandisk shares were down 3.2%.Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) has started marketing a US investment-grade bond sale in as many as 10 parts, with maturities ranging from two to 40 years, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The tech giant is seeking up to $25 billion from the sale, according to a separate Bloomberg report, which cited people familiar with the matter. Alphabet Class C and Class A shares were down 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively.SpaceX (SPCX) will build a vertically integrated semiconductor fabrication facility in Grimes County, Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said Thursday in a statement. Phase one of the Terafab project includes a capital investment of more than $16.8 billion, Abbott said. SpaceX shares were up 2.5%.Western Digital (WDC) reported fiscal Q4 non-GAAP EPS late Wednesday of $3.56, up from $1.70 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $3.31. Fiscal Q4 revenue was $3.75 billion, up from $2.1 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $3.70 billion. For fiscal Q1, the company expects non-GAAP EPS of $4.00, plus or minus $0.15, and revenue of $4.1 billion, plus or minus $100 million. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $3.84 and $4.06 billion, respectively. Western Digital shares were down 8.6%.AppLovin (APP) reported Q2 EPS late Wednesday of $3.76, up from $2.39 a year earlier and matching the FactSet consensus. Second-quarter revenue was $1.92 billion, up from $1.26 billion a year ago but below the FactSet consensus of $1.94 billion. For Q3, the company expects revenue of $2.06 billion to $2.09 billion, compared to the FactSet consensus of $2.08 billion. Applovin shares were down 20.1%.Datadog (DDOG) reported Q2 non-GAAP net income of $0.65 per diluted share, up from $0.46 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $0.58. Second-quarter revenue was $1.12 billion, up from $826.8 million a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $1.08 billion. For Q3, the company expects non-GAAP net income per share of $0.63 to $0.65 on revenue of $1.135 billion to $1.145 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect non-GAAP EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $1.11 billion. For full-year 2026, the company expects non-GAAP EPS of $2.50 to $2.54, up from its previous guidance of $2.3 to $2.44, and it raised its revenue guidance to $4.45 billion to $4.47 billion from $4.30 billion to $4.34 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expect $2.42 and $4.35, respectively. Datadog shares were down 15.8%.Palo Alto Networks' (PANW) products sold in China are undergoing a cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Palo Alto shares were down 1.7%.Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI asked a federal judge to dismiss Apple's (AAPL) trade-secrets lawsuit as meritless, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing a court filing. Microsoft shares were up 1.7%, while Apple shares were down 0.3%.Deutsche Bank (DB) and KBC Group have frozen some of Radiant World's bank accounts in Singapore, as pressure mounts on the commodities trader, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. DB shares were down 0.7%.Price: $128.12, Change: $-1.63, Percent Change: -1.25%
