VF Corp (NYSE:VFC) (CNBC)
The parent company of The North Face and Vans, VF Corp., on Friday reported earnings and sales that fell short of analysts’ expectations. It also revealed plans to sell its Nautica business. Though the news wasn’t taken lightly on Wall Street, CEO Steve Rendle, who’s been at the helm of the North Carolina-based house of brands for about a year now, told CNBC it’s all part of VF’s goal to become a more consumer-facing business and focus on the best labels. VF also owns Timberland, Wrangler and Lee, among a handful of other apparel and footwear banners. VF’s shares dropped more than 8 percent Friday afternoon, having climbed more than 50 percent from a year ago.
Mulesoft Inc (NYSE:MULE) (The Motley Fool)
What happened: Shares of information technology company MuleSoft (NYSE:MULE) climbed as much as 16.7% on Friday. The stock’s gain follows MuleSoft’s fourth-quarter earnings release. Mulesoft shares are up 15.2% at the time of this writing. Optimism toward the stock on Friday likely reflects the company’s higher-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue, as well management’s promising outlook for 2018. “Robust market demand and strong sales execution enabled us to deliver fourth quarter and fiscal 2017 revenue well ahead of expectations,” said MuleSoft CEO Greg Schott about the results.
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United States Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) (MarketWatch)
Shares of U.S. Steel Corp. X, +9.85% surged more than 12% and Alcoa Inc. AA, +0.84% stock rose nearly 3% on Friday after the U.S. Commerce Department recommended tariffs on steel and aluminum from other countries, including China and Brazil. U.S. Steel shares were recently up 10% to $43, on track for their their highest close since September 2014. The tariffs and quotas would vary from country to country, with the highest ones going to aluminum from China and Russia, among other countries, and the highest steel tariffs on imports from countries including Brazil, China and Russia.
Apricus Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ:APRI) (Benzinga)
Apricus Biosciences Inc shares tumbled 63.5 percent to $1.16 after the nano-cap pharmaceutical company that focuses on products in the areas of urology and rheumatology announced a disappointing update. The company said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration won’t approve the company’s cream for the treatment of erectile dysfunction called Vitaros due to “deficiencies related to Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (“CMC”) and certain safety concerns.”
Sleep Number Corp (NASDAQ:SNBR) (CNBC)
Sleep Number – Sleep Number came in 14 cents a share above estimates, with adjusted quarterly profit of 33 cents per share. The mattress seller also saw revenue beat forecasts. Sleep Number – the company formerly known as Select Comfort – saw its results helped by sales of its 360 Smart Bed, which was introduced in mid-2017.
Riot Blockchain Inc (NASDAQ:RIOT) (MarketWatch)
Shares in Castle Rock, Colo.-based Riot Blockchain Inc. fell by more than 30% Friday after an investigative report raised fresh concerns about the cryptocurrency-related company’s business and recent executive share sales. On Oct. 4, 2017, the company changed its name from Bioptix Inc. to Riot Blockchain, as it pivoted from a biopharma company to its newfound cryptocurrency strategy, sending its shares surging, as bitcoin and other digital currencies were rocketing in value, and mainstream interest in distributed-ledger technology, or blockchain, was surging.
IPG Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ:IPGP) (The Motley Fool)
What happened: Sometimes, life just doesn’t seem fair. For investors in fiber laser-maker IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP), Friday was one of those times. Releasing its Q4 and full-year 2017 results Friday morning, IPG reported that its sales surged 29% in Q4 to $361.1 million, and operating profits soared 41% to $148.3 million. True, profits per diluted share declined a steep 31%, but that was mainly because IPG recorded $0.90 in true one-time charges due to the effects of tax reform that were entirely out of its control.
Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNCR) (Benzinga)
Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. shares climbed 23.2 percent to $9.19 after the global software and services said it has closed a previously announced sale of $185 million worth of newly created preferred stock to affiliates of Siris Capital Group.
Shake Shack Inc (NYSE:SHAK) (CNBC)
Shake Shack – Shake Shack beat estimates by 4 cents a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of 10 cents per share. The restaurant chain’s revenue was above Street forecasts, as well. Comparable-store sales rose 0.8 percent, but that was slightly short of the consensus estimate of a 1.0 percent increase. Shake Shack also gave a weaker-than-expected forecast.
Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHC) (TheStreet)
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) is not finishing off the week on a strong note. While the S&P 500 is up more than 4% over the last five trading sessions, Kraft Heinz stock is down 3.5% and made new 52-week lows on Friday. The move comes after the company missed on both earnings and revenue estimates for the fourth quarter. Kraft Heinz is suffering a “generational problem,” TheStreet’s Jim Cramer said on CNBC’s “Mad Dash” segment. What does that mean exactly? That Millennial shoppers are simply not interested in buying these non-organic pantry items.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) (Bloomberg)
Shares of automakers Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. declined after the U.S. Commerce Department recommended a crackdown on imported aluminum and steel that could make sourcing raw materials for their vehicles costlier. Ford fell as much as 2.2 percent and GM fell as much as 1.3 percent as of 1:01 p.m. Friday in New York trading. Both automakers reversed gains after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross proposed a 24 percent global tariff on steel shipments coming into the U.S. and a 7.7 percent duty on aluminum imports.
