Today's stocks to watch in the news include Honeywell International Inc. (HON), Evoke Pharma Inc (EVOK), and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD)
U.S. stock futures are higher this morning, putting Dow 20,000 in focus. Among specific equities in the spotlight today are manufacturing stock Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE:HON), as well as biotechs Evoke Pharma Inc (NASDAQ:EVOK) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD). Here's a quick look at what's driving HON, EVOK, and GILD.
- A disappointing full-year outlook has HON pointed 1.8% lower in electronic trading. The shares would remain atop their rising 200-day moving average on such a move, however, after closing Thursday at $116.34 -- up 13% in 2016. But, if Honeywell International Inc. does breach the 200-day and losses mount, the stock could fall victim to bearish analyst attention. Fourteen of 16 brokerage firms recommend buying HON shares, while zero consider a "sell."
- EVOK is up over 40% in pre-market trading, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its lead drug, Gimoti, positive application guidance. Even if these gains come to fruition, the stock will be sitting far below its July peak of $11.11, closing Thursday at $1.44. Evoke Pharma Inc short sellers would like to see the downtrend resume. Despite a 18.6% decline during the last two reporting periods, short interest represents 13.2% of the stock's float, equating to more than a week's worth of buying power, according to average daily volumes.
- GILD is down 1.7% ahead of the open, after a jury awarded Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) roughly $2.5 billion in royalties in the companies' patent dispute. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has been trending lower throughout the year, underperforming the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by 11 percentage points during the past three months to trade at $75.55. Despite the stock's struggles, options traders have been overwhelmingly bullish. For instance, GILD's 10-day call/put volume ratio of 5.70 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) ranks in the 99th annual percentile.
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