The stock market ended last week on a solid note despite several floundering big-name stocks — among them Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX). The S&P 500 ticked 10 points higher higher by the end of Friday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved 0.1% higher to finish above 18,000 in its continued battle with the psychologically important mark.
There’s plenty more that will keep markets shuffling as we approach the end of April. Among the companies you should be watching to start this week are Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and Sarepta Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SRPT) making headlines over the weekend.
Here’s what’s making these stocks stand out Monday:
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
Apple shares may start the week off with a tumble as the company’s fiscal second-quarter report is on deck — and no one expects much.
iPhone sales have improved every period since the smartphone was first introduced in 2007, helping AAPL stock soar more than 500% since the release of the first iPhone nearly nine years ago. However, this trend is almost sure to be reversed when the company reports Tuesday afternoon.
Tim Cook & Co. predicted earlier this year that iPhone sales will drop for the first time. Analysts expect a 20% decline year-over-year to 51 million smartphones.
One (kind of) bright spot Apple might report is news on the Apple Watch. Analysts believe about 12 million Apple Watches have been sold since the gadget’s April 2015 release, surpassing the number of mobile sales in the iPhone’s first year by upwards of 200%.
Still, given that the iPhone makes up roughly 70% of the company’s revenues, don’t expect any positive Apple Watch to make much difference to investors.
AAPL shares were set to start Monday off fractionally.
Intel Corporation (INTC)
Intel looks to continue its tumble after last week’s news that it is finally downsizing as the company turns its focus from PCs to connected devices and cloud operations.
CEO Brian Krzanich announced last week that the company would be slashing 12,000 people, or 11% of its workforce, over the next year. The move is expected to save the company $750 million in 2016, and comes amid Intel’s shift in focus away from PCs. Cloud, mobile and other smart devices accounted for 40% of the tech company’s revenue in 2015, while personal computer sales have dropped by more than 20% over the last five years.
That news came amid the company’s mixed quarterly results.
Intel shares also are on pace to start Monday off in the red.
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc (SRPT)
Sarepta Therapeutics — which is developing a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare muscle-wasting disorder, saw its shares halted in Monday’s premarket trading.
SRPT shares were knocked down by nearly 45% last Thursday amid a report that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was maintaining a “negative” outlook on eteplirsen, “criticizing the drug’s efficacy and the trial’s design and measurement,” The Wall Street Journal. This served as a dire lead-up to an FDA advisory committee meeting today.
Sarepta did bounce back nearly 35% on Friday, however, and was up another 8% in Monday’s premarket trading before shares were halted, pending any news from the meeting.
As of this writing, Karl Utermohlen did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
