Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Hertz Global – The car rental company lost about 4% after it was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman Sachs. Investors have not yet fully priced in some near-term pressures, the bank wrote. Nugget – The financial services stock lost nearly 2% after a rating downgrade to underweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley. As reasons for the change, the company cited “high market penetration and limited additional opportunities.” Zeta Global – The software stock added 17% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the software company to an overweight rating from equal weight. The bank wrote that it expects positive valuation and estimate revisions going forward, as evidence points to near-term Zeta catalysts and a “track record” of prudent guidance. Wayfair – Shares of the home-focused e-commerce retailer added more than 3% after Evercore ISI was upgraded to an outperform rating. The company expects Wayfair to gain market share as the home furnishing space recovers. Levi Strauss – Shares of the apparel company rose 16% after it beat first-quarter top and bottom line forecasts and increased its full-year earnings guidance. Conagra Brands – The consumer packaged foods company rose 5% after beating analysts' estimates for its fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue. Conagra reported adjusted earnings of 69 cents per share on revenue of $3.03 billion, which beat the 65 cents per share on revenue of $3.01 billion expected by FactSet. Lamb Weston – Shares fell nearly 20% after the French fries maker missed earnings and revenue in the third quarter. Lamb Weston reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.20 per share, below the $1.45 that analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected. The company's revenues of $1.46 billion were less than the expected $1.65 billion. Alaska Airlines Group – The airline gained 5%. Alaska said it received $160 million in compensation from Boeing after grounding the 737 Max 9. Grindr – The LGBTQ-focused dating app rose 2.5% after Raymond James initiated coverage with an outperform rating. The company said it sees several reasons to be optimistic about the stock, including its moat, consumer base and margins. HubSpot – Shares rose nearly 10% after Reuters reported that Alphabet is in talks to make a bid for the marketing software company. Alphabet has not yet submitted an offer for the deal. Solventum – Healthcare stock rose 4.5%. Solventum was just separated from 3M on Monday, with Thursday's pop marking its first positive day since its debut. Solar Stocks – Solar stocks rose during Thursday's session as the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell. Enphase Energy rose 7%, while First Solar rose 6%. SolarEdge Technologies advanced more than 7%. – CNBC's Alex Haring and Hakyung Kim contributed reporting.
