- Nike (NKE) shares got a boost on Wednesday after a filing showed that Apple CEO Tim Cook purchased $2.95 million worth of shares on Dec. 22. Cook is Nike’s lead independent director and served as a director since 2005, according to the company’s website. The filing shows Cook purchased 50,000 Class B common stock at a weighted average price of $58.97.
- Costco (COST) rose after receiving an upgrade for Christmas, as Northcoast Research analyst Charles Cerankosky raised the recommendation on wholesale giant to buy from neutral. His new price target of $1,100 implies a 29% increase from Tuesday's closing price. Investors who followed Cerankosky's recommendation received a 0% return in the past year, compared with a negative 9.5% return on the shares.
- Dynavax (DVAX) popped after Sanofi agreed to buy the small biopharmaceutical firm for about $2.2 billion, as it seeks to expand a vaccines business currently anchored by its flu shot franchise. The French drugmaker will pay $15.50 a share in cash for Dynavax, 39% above the Emeryville, California-based firm’s closing price Tuesday. The statement on Wednesday came minutes after Sanofi said the US Food and Drug Administration had surprisingly rejected its experimental multiple sclerosis drug tolebrutinib.