Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:
Nielsen Holdings (NLSN) – The TV ratings company’s stock surged 20.9% in the premarket after it agreed to be acquired by a private-equity consortium for $28 per share. The deal is worth $16 billion, including assumed debt.
FedEx (FDX) – FedEx CEO Fred Smith will step down from that role at the company he founded more than 50 years ago. He’ll become executive chairman on June 1 and will be replaced as CEO by President and Chief Operating Officer Raj Subramaniam. FedEx shares rose 2% in the premarket.
LHC Group (LHCG) – UnitedHealth (UNH) will buy the home health-care specialist for $5.4 billion in cash, or $170 per share, according to The Wall Street Journal. LHC will become part of UnitedHealth’s Optum health-care services unit. LHC shares jumped 7.5% in premarket action.
Uber Technologies (UBER) – Uber is close to an agreement with a San Francisco taxi company to include taxis in its ride-hailing platform in that city, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The New York Times. Uber recently struck a similar agreement in New York City. The stock added 1.9% in premarket action.
Jefferies Financial (JEF) – The asset management firm’s stock rallied 3.7% in the premarket after reporting better-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue. Jefferies earned $1.23 per share, well above the 89 cents a share consensus estimate, even as profit fell from a year earlier amid what the company called a “challenging” trading environment.
GameStop (GME) – GameStop remains on watch as the videogame retailer’s stock rides a 10-session winning streak that has seen it gain 143%. Another “meme stock” on a roll is movie theater operator AMC Entertainment (AMC), which surged 45% Monday, its best day since last June. GameStop fell 3.5% in premarket trading, while AMC slid 4.5%.
Stellantis (STLA) – The automaker is laying off an undisclosed number of workers at its Illinois Jeep plant in an effort to “operate the plant in a more sustainable manner.” The plant saw several layoffs last year as well as it tried to deal with the impact of the global semiconductor shortage. Stellantis shares jumped 4.5% in premarket trading.
Southwest Gas (SWX) – The energy producer will sell $400 million in shares at $74 per share to help repay debt used in its $2 billion acquisition of Questar Pipelines in December. That deal had been opposed by investor Carl Icahn, whose offer to buy Southwest at $82.50 per share was rejected by the company on Monday. Southwest fell 3.4% in the premarket.
Dave & Buster’s (PLAY) – The restaurant chain’s stock slumped 5.9% in the premarket after a top and bottom-line miss for its latest quarter. Dave & Buster’s fell 8 cents a share shy of estimates, with quarterly earnings of 52 cents per share. Dave & Buster’s said its results were strong in light of ongoing Covid-19 headwinds.
Pinterest (PINS) – Shares of the image-sharing site operator slid 2.7% in premarket trading after Morgan Stanley downgraded it to “equal-weight” from “overweight.” Morgan Stanley points to challenging user trends, including a greater proportion of time spent on activities with lower monetization potential.
