Before the opening bell, investors are eyeing early movers that hint at how sentiment might unfold once regular trading begins. In today’s pre-market session, Amcor (AMCR), Celanese (CE), and Becton Dickinson (BDX) are among the notable gainers, while Cooper Co. (COO), Qualcomm (QCOM), and Align Technology (ALGN) are sliding lower.
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These six names—spanning industries from medical devices and packaging to semiconductors and specialty materials are the stocks traders are focused on going into the open in a couple of hours.
A Note on Pre-Market
Pre-market trading occurs hours before the official open (usually before 9:30 a.m. ET on U.S. exchanges), giving participants the chance to react to overnight news or soften volatility ahead of the regular session. However, liquidity is typically lower during this time while spreads tend to be wider, so trading at these hours carries noticeably higher risk.
Below are three of the biggest gainers and losers heading into today’s trading session. Meanwhile, the two most active stocks are Intel (INTC) and Nvidia (NVDA), with over 1 million shares traded by 07:00 ET.
Amcor (NYSE:AMCR)
Packaging specialist Amcor (AMCR) is trading about 4.6% higher in pre-market trade. The company, which recently completed its merger with Berry Global, continues to attract investor interest as it expands its scale and unlocks cost synergies. In a separate development, Amcor implemented a new severance plan at the end of September, signaling possible organizational adjustments ahead. The stock ended yesterday down 1.88%, but today’s early strength suggests a potential rebound once regular trading begins.
Celanese (NYSE:CE)
Tech materials company Celanese has risen by a modest 0.12% in pre-market trade. The company has weathered a brutal 12 months in which the stock price has plunged from over $150 to ~$42 today. Last week, the company promised to unveil a “powerful combination of new digital services, advanced materials, and expanded capabilities” at the K Show in Düsseldorf, Germany, which is being held this week.
Becton Dickinson (NYSE:BDX)
Medical supplier Becton Dickinson (BDX) is up about 1.54% before the open. Just yesterday, the med-tech specialist hit a self-claimed milestone of enrolling its first patient into the XTRACT Registry — a prospective, multi-center, single-arm, post-market registry study designed to evaluate the real-world performance of its trademarked Rotarex catheter system. The XTRACT Registry is expected to enroll up to 600 patients in as many as 100 clinical sites across the U.S., according to the company.
Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO)
Medtech company Cooper (COO) is down around 7% in pre-market and continues to struggle against the prevailing downtrend, putting pressure on the stock since September 2024. In September this year, the contact lens specialist doubled its share repurchase program to $2 billion, which bolstered shareholder sentiment for a while. However, the bears are knocking on Cooper’s door again.
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM)
American chip designer Qualcomm (QCOM) is off by ~2.5% in pre-market trade. Earlier this week, the semiconductor company signed a deal to acquire the Italian non-profit open-source platform Arduino, following its acquisition of Edge Impulse earlier this year and Foundries.io in March 2024. Investors are also worried about revelations that the firm is being taken to court by a U.K. consumer campaign group over high smartphone prices. Despite the setbacks, QCOM is up almost 10% this year.
Align Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN)
Align Technology (ALGN) is trading about 1.5% lower in pre-market activity after Jefferies analyst Michael Sarcone downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold and cut the price target from $215 to $140. The stock is already nursing a crushing 36% slide since January. The downgrade stems from concerns over market saturation for Align’s flagship Invisalign system, which has treated nearly 21 million patients to date.
While the clear aligner business generated over $1 billion in Q2 revenue, up roughly 5.6% year-over-year, Jefferies cited a recent survey of dental professionals indicating that broader aligner market growth will not climb above 3–4% annually, suggesting limited room for sustained expansion.
