U.S. stock futures were trading lower on Monday as investors gear up for a fresh round of earnings due to begin this week.
Dow futures were 0.25% lower, S&P futures had slipped 0.18%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.35% in the red at the time of writing.
Aphria (APHA), TuanChe (TC) and Canaan (CAN) are expected to release their earnings results before the bell with Simulations Plus (SLP) and Mind Technology (MIND) expected to report after the market closes.
Pintec Tech (PT) was the most actively traded stock and among the biggest gainers in the pre-market after announcing the acquisition of Shenzhen Jishengtai Technology. PT shares had gained 29% before the opening bell.
The biggest gainer in the pre-market was Wilhelmina International, Inc. (WHLM), rising 94%, while iRhythm Tech (IRTC) was the biggest laggard falling 25% at the time of writing.
In M&A news, shares of Nuance Communications (NUAN) rose 21% before the bell after it was reported that Microsoft (MSFT) was interested in buying the company for $16 billion. The selling price implies a 23% premium to NUAN’s closing price of $45.58 on Friday, April 9 and would be Microsoft’s second biggest acquisition since buying LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016.
Meanwhile, Sanofi (SNY) has acquired Tidal Therapeutics for an upfront payment of $160 million with another $310 million expected to be paid upon the achievement of certain milestones. Global Head of Research and Chief Scientific Officer Frank Nestle said, “We anticipate that this next generation, off-the-shelf approach has the potential to bring CAR-T cell therapy to a much broader patient population. We believe that the underlying mRNA targeting platform will create disruptive therapeutic approaches across a variety of oncology and autoimmune conditions.”
McGrath RentCorp (MGRC) announced the acquisition of Kitchens To Go, a supplier of modular solutions to food service providers that need flexible facilities. President and CEO Joe Hanna said, “As we expand our ability to provide solutions to our customers, there are opportunities for us to serve businesses that have a temporary facilities need with their food service projects… We now have another product line that is a logical adjacency to our core business and we look forward to growing it together.”
AutoNation (AN) has signed a strategic partnership deal with American professional soccer club Inter Miami to become the club’s official and exclusive automotive partner. AutoNation will be entitled to the naming rights of Inter Miami’s stadium together with the branding of training kits. The automotive company will also gain extensive TV and digital exposure with rights to the Inter Miami Digital Live stream.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) reported positive interim data from its ongoing Phase 1 study of ALN-AGT for the treatment of hypertension. The double-blind, single-dose, placebo-controlled study included 84 hypertension patients to determine the safety, tolerability and preliminary pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic activity of the drug. The study, which led to a lowering of blood pressure in patients supports the potential for a quarterly or semi-annual dose being administered.
