Stock Indexes Mostly Lower on Busy Earnings Day; GM Shares Soar on Results, Outlook; Warner Bros. Discover Initiates Strategic Review

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Soars as Media Giant Initiates Strategic Review

2 minutes ago

Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shares soared about 10% to lead Nasdaq advancers Tuesday morning after the media and entertainment giant said it was initiating a strategic review.

Warner Bros. Discovery said its board had “initiated a review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, in light of unsolicited interest the Company has received from multiple parties for both the entire company and Warner Bros.” Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount Skydance (PSKY)  was preparing a cash bid for all of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The options “include continuing to advance the Company’s planned separation to completion by mid-2026, a transaction for the entire company, or separate transactions for its Warner Bros. and/or Discovery Global businesses,” the firm said. “As part of the review, the Company will also consider an alternative separation structure that would enable a merger of Warner Bros. and spin-off of Discovery Global to our shareholders.”

Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, whose media holdings include HBO, CNN, TNT, and the Warner Bros. movie and television studios, have skyrocketed 90% this year.

Watch These Apple Price Levels as Stock Hits Record High on iPhone 17 Sales Optimism

35 minutes ago

Apple (AAPL) shares remain in the spotlight after hitting a new record high for the first time this year on Monday following signs of a strong start to iPhone 17 sales.

The tech giant’s recently released iPhone 17 series outsold its prior lineup in the U.S. and China during its first 10 days of availability, according to a report from Counterpoint Research. The base model performed particularly well in China, while many American buyers upgraded to the Pro Max version, according to the research.

Apple shares have rallied 30% from their August low and are up nearly 5% year to date (YTD). However, they trail the returns of all Magnificent Seven members except Amazon (AMZN) since the start of the year amid concerns that the iPhone maker has fallen behind its big tech peers in the AI race. The stock was down slightly at around $262 in recent premarket trading Tuesday.

After breaking below a pennant earlier this month, Apple shares made a swift reversal to close above the pattern on Monday, creating a potential bear trap scenario. Such a trading event “traps” investors who initiated short positions and subsequently generates losses as the price turns higher. 

Meanwhile, the relative strength index confirms bullish momentum, though the indicator remains below its prior peaks, indicating the stock has further room to move into price discovery mode before consolidating.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

–Timothy Smith

Coca-Cola Reports Better-Than-Expected Q3 Profit, But Revenue Misses Mark in ‘Challenging’ Environment

1 hr 35 min ago

Coca-Cola (KO) shares rose nearly 2.5% in premarket trading after the beverage giant posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit, although its revenue came up slightly short in what CEO James Quincey called a “challenging” environment.

The Atlanta-based company reported Q3 adjusted earnings of $0.82 per share on revenue that increased 5% year-over-year to $12.46 billion. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected $0.78 and $12.52 billion, respectively.

Unit case volumes were up 1% overall but flat in North America and Latin America, and fell 1% in Asia Pacific. Sparkling soft drink volumes were even, aided by 14% growth in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Water, sports, coffee, and tea grew 3%, but juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages declined 3%.

Quincey said that “the overall environment has continued to be challenging,” but added “we’re confident we can deliver on our 2025 guidance while also working to achieve our longer-term objectives.”

GM Stock Pops on Strong Results, Lifted Outlook

2 hr 12 min ago

General Motors’ (GM) third-quarter results were better than expected. Its updated full-year guidance is helping send shares significantly higher before the bell.

GM shares surged nearly 10% after the “Big Three” automaker lifted its 2025 projections for several metrics, including adjusted profit to a range of $9.75 to $10.50 per share from the prior $8.25 to $10.00. It also raised its adjusted EBIT forecast to $12.0 billion to $13.0 billion from $10.0 billion to $12.5 billion, and adjusted automotive free cash flow to $10.0 billion to $11.0 billion from $7.5 billion to $10.0 billion.

GM also sees its 2025 gross tariff impact improving to $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion from the prior range of $4 billion to $5 billion.

For the third quarter, GM reported adjusted EPS of $2.80 on revenue of $48.59 billion. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected $2.25 and $45.02 billion, respectively.

GM shares entered Tuesday up about 9% this year, below the roughly 15% rise of the benchmark S&P 500.

Stock Futures Tick Lower on Busy Earnings Day

2 hr 49 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were fractionally lower.

S&P 500 futures also were down less than 0.1%.

Nasdaq 100 futures were 0.1% lower.