Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Aegean Marine Petroleum Drops On Downbeat Earnings; Inovio Shares Surge

Toward the end of trading Wednesday, the Dow traded up 0.34 percent to 21,008.68 while the NASDAQ climbed 0.25 percent to 6,154.20. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.20 percent to 2,403.18.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Non-cyclical consumer goods & services sector was the top gainer in the US market on Wednesday. Top gainers in the sector included Cia Energetica de Minas Gerais CEMIG-ADR CIG, Companhia Paranaense de Energia (ADR) ELP, and NRG Energy Inc NRG.

In trading on Wednesday, energy shares fell 0.55 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Bristow Group Inc BRS, down 34 percent, and Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. ANW, down 34 percent.

Top Headline

Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW posted weaker-than-expected results for its first quarter.

Lowe's reported earnings of $1.03 per share in the quarter on revenue of $16.86 billion. Analysts were expecting earnings of $1.06 per share on revenue of $16.96 billion.

Lowe's lowered its FY17 earnings forecast to $4.30 per share, from $4.64 per share.

Equities Trading UP

Container Store Group Inc TCS shares shot up 27 percent to $5.29 after the company posted upbeat results for its fourth quarter and issued a strong forecast for FY 2017.

Shares of Triumph Group Inc TGI got a boost, shooting up 27 percent to $30.80. Triumph Group reported Q4 earnings of $1.32 per share on sales of $919 million.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc INO shares were also up, gaining 24 percent to $8.84 following announcement of a clinical study for a HIV vaccine that had nearly 100 percent immune response.

Equities Trading DOWN

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. ANW shares dropped 34 percent to $6.95 after the company posted downbeat quarterly profit. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Aegean Marine from Buy to Hold.

Shares of Ooma Inc OOMA were down 27 percent to $8.50 after the company's first-quarter earnings report and forward looking guidance failed to impress investors

Bristow Group Inc BRS was down, falling around 34 percent to $9.65. Bristow Group reported Q4 adjusted loss of $1.15 per share on revenue of $323.651 million. The company projects FY18 results to be impacted by continued offshore oil and gas industry downturn.

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded down 0.58 percent to $51.17 while gold traded down 0.20 percent to $1,256.40.

Silver traded down 0.17 percent Wednesday to $17.11, while copper fell 0.42 percent to $2.585.

Eurozone

European shares closed mostly lower today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 rose 0.09 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.08 percent, while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index dropped 0.21 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX declined 0.13 percent, and the French CAC 40 slipped 0.13 percent while U.K. shares rose 0.40 percent.

Economics

The FHFA house price index rose 0.60 percent to 246.20 for March. Economists expected a 0.60 percent growth.

Existing home sales declined 2.3 percent to an annual rate of 5.57 million for April. Economists were expecting a 5.65 million pace.

Domestic crude supplies declined 4.43 million barrels for the week ended May 19, the U.S. Energy Information Administration. However, analysts projected a drop of 2.42 million barrels. Gasoline stockpiles slipped 787,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles declined 480,000 barrels last week.

The Federal Open Market Committee released minutes of its latest meeting.

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan is set to speak in Toronto at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari will speak in Ashland, Wisconsin at 6:30 p.m. ET.