Striking members of the Writers Guild of America picket with striking members of SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild, outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, Sept. 18, 2023. Mario Tama | Getty Images Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. AstraZeneca — Shares rose 1.4% after Jefferies upgraded the stock to buy from hold. The upgrade comes after one of its breast cancer therapies, in joint development with Daiichi Sankyo, came out with positive results in a late-stage trial on...

There’s limited upside potential ahead for Block as a softening consumer discretionary spending outlook will likely slow down gross profit growth for the Square and Cash App parent, according to UBS. Analyst Rayna Kumar downgraded shares to neutral from buy. She also lowered her price target to $65 from $102. The new price target implies just 10.4% upside from where shares closed on Tuesday. “With a lack of catalysts in sight, and re-acceleration of gross profit growth unlikely, we see...

Things aren’t looking good for Dick’s Sporting Goods , and Bank of America thinks investors need to steer clear of the athletics apparel. The stock plunged 24.1% on Tuesday — its biggest one-day drop on record — on weaker-than-expected second-quarter results. Dick’s also cut its guidance for the year amid a rise in retail theft and sluggish sales in its outdoor segment. DKS 5D mountain Dick’s Sporting Goods shares “Post 2Q results, we see increased risks to DKS sales & margin outlook,”...

The recent dip in Charles Schwab shares provides a promising entry point for investors, according to Deutsche Bank. The brokerage firm’s shares lost about 5% Tuesday on news the company sold more than $2 billion in debt. While this news likely rekindled worries about Schwab’s client cash sorting, liquidity and capital levels, Deutsche analyst Brian Bedell thinks these concerns are “overblown.” “Tuesday[’s] Sell-off Provides Even More Attractive Risk/Reward,” Bedell said in a note written on...

Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices is an “emerging growth opportunity” in artificial intelligence, according to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Investment strategist Daniel Skelly said he added the chipmaker to the firm’s equity model portfolio. He noted that AMD is “a leader in chip end markets with potential AI tailwinds.” “AMD continues to take share from key competitors (including Intel) as it launches competitive and on-time releases of new chips and supporting product roadmaps,” Skelly...