Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: Rocket Lab — The space company soared 12.5%, hitting a 52-week high, after packing and shipping two Mars-bound spacecraft to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for launch. The two spacecraft were designed, built, integrated and tested by Rocket Lab for the University of California Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory and NASA. Bavarian Nordic — The Danish biotech company surged 14.8% after it submitted data to the European Union’s drug regulator to extend mpox vaccine use for teens. CEO Paul Chaplin told CNBC that the expanded approval for individuals between 12 and 17 years of age is crucial to combatting the outbreak of the virus’ latest strain. H & R Block — The tax services provider jumped more than 12% after fiscal fourth-quarter results topped Street estimates, it raised its dividend and authorized a $1.5 billion buyback. H & R Block also issued a fiscal 2025 forecast reflecting another year of revenue growth. Bayer — The German life sciences company popped more than 10% after winning a legal victory in its lawsuit over claims that exposure to its Roundup weed and grass killer led to cancer. That followed allegations that Bayer-acquired Monsanto violated state law by failing to add a cancer warning to the Roundup label. JD.com — The Chinese e-commerce provider jumped more than 8% after stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings. JD second-quarter earnings soared 74% year over year to 9.36 yuan per share, excluding items, while analysts polled by LSEG expected 6.07 yuan in earnings per share. The solid results were boosted by price cuts that drew cost-conscious consumers. Applied Materials — The semiconductor equipment maker lost nearly 2% even after posting stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results. The company earned $2.12 per share on $6.78 billion in revenue. Fourth-quarter guidance also met expectations. The stock has climbed 51% over the past year. Amcor — The packaging stock slid more than 3% after sales slowed in the latest quarter. Amcor reported $3.54 billion in net sales for the quarter, down from $3.67 billion a year prior and below the $3.57 billion expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount. Amcor saw sales declines in both its rigid and flexibles segments. Coherent — Shares gained 7.5% after the electronic manufacturer beat Wall Street’s expectations in its fiscal fourth quarter. Coherent earned 61 cents per share, excluding items, on revenue of $1.31 billion, above the 60 cents per share on revenue of $1.28 billion that analysts polled by FactSet were anticipating. Sphere Entertainment — The live entertainment stock popped more than 6% on the back of a JPMorgan upgrade to overweight from neutral. JPMorgan said the company’s Las Vegas Sphere venue has become a “mainstay in the destination tourism market” for both travelers and artists. Sphere also said it should be able to open international venues. — CNBC’s Alex Harring, Jesse Pound, Samantha Subin, Yun Li and Pia Singh contributed reporting.
