Check out the companies that made headlines before the bell: JB Hunt Transport Services — Shares fell more than 7% after the company’s fourth-quarter profit was lower than expected. JB Hunt’s earnings were $1.53 per share, below the LSEG consensus estimate of $1.61 per share. However, sales for the period were in line with expectations at $3.15 billion. CORBO — Activist investor Starboard Value owns a 7.7% stake in the company and is considering changes to boost its stock price, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The stock price rose more than 7% following the news. MoonLake Immunotherapeutics — The biotech stock rose more than 4% after Goldman Sachs upgraded it to buy from neutral. The company cited promising data from a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of a chronic skin disease known as hidradenitis suppurativa. Fastenal — Shares fell more than 4% after the company’s fourth-quarter profit and revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations. Fastenal had earnings of 46 cents per share on sales of $1.82 billion, compared with analyst estimates compiled by FactSet of 48 cents per share on sales of $1.84 billion. Life360 — The location-sharing app’s shares rose more than 3% after UBS upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, citing growing confidence in the company’s medium-term advertising revenue opportunities. Rivian Automotive — The electric vehicle maker’s stock rose 2.6% after the company signed a loan agreement with the Department of Energy for up to $6.6 billion to help build a new manufacturing site in Georgia. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with production of customer vehicles scheduled for 2028, according to Thursday’s press release. Apple — The iPhone maker rose nearly 1%, recouping some of the losses seen in the previous session. Apple shares fell about 4% on Thursday following reports of weak iPhone sales in China, its worst day since August. Lam Research , Applied Materials — Semiconductor equipment stocks rose about 2% after KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded both semiconductor equipment stocks from sector weight to overweight. The investment firm said Lam Research and Applied Materials have exposure to artificial intelligence-related devices, which could lead to higher stock prices. Salesforce — TD Shares rose 2% after Cowen upgraded the stock from hold to buy. The company said the recent decline in its share price created an “attractive entry point” for investors. Cloudflare — Shares soared 3.5% after Citi upgraded the stock to buy. Citi said it has increased confidence in cloud stocks’ fundamentals and growth potential. —CNBC’s Alex Harring, Jesse Pound, Sarah Min and Pia Singh contributed reporting.
