Today's stocks in the news include SHLD, MCD, and MXL
With no major economic reports on the day's docket, U.S. traders are keeping an eye trained on developments overseas and Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) developer conference. Meanwhile, among today's stocks in the news are big-box retailer Sears Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:SHLD), fast-food giant McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD), and semiconductor specialist MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL).
- SHLD is off 0.1% at $40.70, after the firm reported a narrower-than-expected first-quarter loss and announced plans to generate roughly $2.6 billion from spinning off more than 200 stores into a real estate investment trust (REIT). Sears Holdings Corp has advanced more than 23% in 2015, but has struggled to take out the $44-$45 area. On the sentiment front, short interest accounts for more than three-quarters of the stock's total available float, representing more than a month's worth of pent-up buying demand, at the equity's average daily volume.
- MCD is 0.1% lower at $95.46, with traders digesting the company's second-to-last ever monthly sales report. The blue chip said global same-store stales dipped a slimmer-than-expected 0.3% in May, but fell a bigger-than-anticipated 2.2% domestically. McDonald's Corporation has ticked nearly 2% higher year-to-date, with recent pullbacks contained by its 200-day moving average. Analysts are skeptical of the stock, as 15 out of 23 consider MCD a "hold" or worse.
- MXL jumped to a four-year high of $11.40 out of the gate, and was last seen 2.3% higher at $10.95, after Soros Fund Management reported a 5% passive stake in the firm. The shares have surged more than 50% in 2015, and their 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) is now in overbought territory. Short sellers have been hitting the bricks, with short interest down 24.3% during the most recent reporting period. Still, it would take about a week to buy back the remaining shorted shares, at MaxLinear, Inc.'s average daily trading volume, suggesting an extended short squeeze could propel the stock even higher.