By Peter Nurse
Investing.com -- Stocks in focus in premarket trade on Wednesday, September 30th. Please refresh for updates.
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) stock fell 1.9% after the entertainment giant announced Tuesday that it will lay off roughly 28,000 employees in its theme parks division, as its resorts struggle with limited attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) stock rose 7.2% after the WSJ reported that NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE), down 1.5%, has made a takeover approach, which could result in a $60 billion-plus deal.
Regeneron (NASDAQ:REGN) stock rose 1.1% after the pharma company said Tuesday its experimental two-antibody cocktail reduced viral levels and improved symptoms in non-hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19.
Micron (NASDAQ:MU) stock fell 4.1% after its earnings beat estimates but the tech company said it has not yet obtained new licenses needed to sell its memory chips to China's Huawei which will cut its sales over the next two quarters.
Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) stock rose 3% after results from an early stage study showed its coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults produced virus-neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, a positive as immunity tends to weaken with age.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) stock fell 0.6% after Reuters reported that the U.S. Justice Department is expected to sue its Google unit as soon as next week, accusing it of looking to disadvantage rivals by depriving them of user data.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock fell 0.8% after the tech giant granted CEO Tim Cook his first major stock package since 2011.
Nikola (NASDAQ:NKLA) stock rose 1.2%, on hopes that the deal with General Motors (NYSE:GM),to jointly build electric pickup trucks and hydrogen fuel cell tractor-trailers can still be salvaged, with only one day to go before the targeted date. GM said that discussions are coninuing.
Palantir Technologies (NYSE:PLTR) stock starts trading Wednesday on the NYSE with the reference price for its direct listing of $7.25 a share. That values Palantir at $15.8 billion ahead of its market debut.
Oasis Petroleum (NASDAQ:OAS) stock slumped 39% after the shale producer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the energy industry suffers from an unprecedented crash in oil prices in the pandemic.
Caesars (NASDAQ:CZR) stock rose 2.2% after its bid to buy William Hill was accepted by the U.K. betting firm’s board, saying the $3.7 billion deal was the best option for its shareholders.