U.S. markets were back in black Thursday, thanks to a tech charge led by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The S&P 500 gained 1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average improved by 1% too, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.5% higher.
To finish out the week, Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX), Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) and Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL) have all thrust themselves into the spotlight.
Here’s what you should know ahead of Friday’s trade.
Novavax, Inc. (NVAX)
NVAX is hitting the floor in Friday’s premarket action following the release of a recent pivotal clinical trial.
RSV F Vaccine, meant to prevent respiratory tract diseases, failed to meet both its primary and secondary efficacy goals in Phase 3 testing. Moreover, there was an “absence of efficacy of a single immunization” in a Phase 2 “rollover trial,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
While Novavax still believes the vaccine has potential, the blow is a mighty one, as NVAX has no other products on the market. The company hasn’t just been bleeding red ink in the past few years — it’s been bleeding more and more every year. The company lost $157 million last year, nearly doubling its $83 million loss in the year prior.
The company said, “We are both surprised and disappointed by the outcome” of the trial.
Investors were, too, sending NVAX stock down by 85%.
Oracle Corporation (ORCL)
Oracle is off this morning, too, after missing earnings and revenue estimates in its fiscal first-quarter report.
The IT company’s profits came to 55 cents per share, falling behind the consensus expectation of 58 cents per share. Meanwhile, revenues of $8.7 billion were also off by about $100 million.
However, there were some silver linings. Co-CEO Safra Catz pointed to overall top-line growth, with its non-GAAP and platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service revenue rising 82%. Total cloud revenues were up nearly 60% to $969 million.
Nonetheless, Oracle’s core business of software license sales is struggling. Revenues from that business were off 11%.
ORCL shares were dipping 3% before Friday’s bell.
Unilever plc (ADR) (UL)
Unilever is making a move to pick up one of the planet’s most talked-about private companies, Honest Co.
Honest Co. is a consumer products company helmed by Jessica Alba, and makes everything from diapers to “green” household cleaners. And while Unilever itself is a big consumer brand, it doesn’t have much overlap with many of Honest’s products in the U.S.
Honest has raised more than $200 million in the past five years, according to the WSJ. However, the deal being discussed would be worth more than $1 billion.
Unilever just last month bought Dollar Shave Club for about $1 billion.
UL shares are off more than 1% in Friday’s premarket action.
