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TOP NEWS
• Pfizer raises COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast to $36 billion for 2021
Pfizer raised the full-year sales forecast for its COVID-19 vaccine by 7.5% to $36 billion, as it signs deals with
countries for booster doses and receives clearances for using its shots in children.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Results
• Apollo Global Management Inc: The company said its distributable earnings rose to an all-time high in the third
quarter driven by growth in its asset sales from its private equity portfolio and income from its credit business.
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Distributable earnings, which is the cash used to pay dividends to shareholders, rose to a record $752.1 million, up
from $205.1 million a year earlier. That translated to distributable earnings per share of $1.71, which surpassed the
average Wall Street analyst estimate of $1.10. New York-based Apollo said it invested $28.3 billion to acquire new
assets, including its $5 billion take over of Yahoo from telecoms giant Verizon. Total assets under management
rose to $481.1 billion, up from $471.8 billion in the prior quarter, driven by growth in premiums from its insurance
businesses Athene Holding and Athora.
• BP PLC: The company added more than a billion dollars to its share buyback programme as it likened itself to a
"cash machine" benefiting from higher oil and gas prices and a strong trading performance in the third quarter.
Underlying replacement cost profit, the company's definition of net earnings, reached $3.32 billion in the third
quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations for $3.06 billion. That compares with $2.8 billion in profit in the second
quarter and $86 million a year earlier, when energy demand and prices collapsed due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Although the headline profit reflects a strong business, BP reported a loss attributable to shareholders of $2.54
billion due to accounting effects and hedges as a result of fluctuations in LNG prices, which are nevertheless
expected to unwind in the coming quarter. BP's net debt fell further to $32 billion from $32.7 billion in the second
quarter.
• Conocophillips: The company reported a third-quarter profit, compared with a year-ago loss, thanks to a
rebound in crude prices to pre-pandemic levels. The company, which agreed to buy Royal Dutch Shell's Permian
basin assets in September, said its production, excluding Libya, rose 41.36% to 1.51 million barrel of oil equivalent
(boe) per day in the third quarter. Prices for its oil and gas averaged $56.92 per boe in the quarter, compared with
$30.94, a year earlier. The Houston-Texas based company posted adjusted earnings of $2.4 billion, or $1.77 per
share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared to a loss of $331 million, or 31 cents per share, a year earlier.
• Diamondback Energy Inc: The U.S. shale producer on Monday beat Wall Street third quarter profit estimates
and increased its dividend as the oil market recovers from pandemic lows, pushing prices to levels not seen in
years. The Midland, Texas-based company reported adjusted earnings of $536 million, or $2.94 per share for the
quarter, versus expectations of $2.77. Diamondback lowered its capital spending guidance for 2021 for the second
time this year to $1.49 billion to $1.53 billion, down 10% from April forecasts. Diamondback has vowed to return
50% of its free cash flow to stockholders beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, and its board recently
authorized a $2 billion share repurchase program. Diamond back increased its annual divided by 11% to $2 per
share, and declared a third quarter cash dividend of 50 cents per share, to be paid this month.
• Estee Lauder Cos Inc: The company cut its full-year sales forecast, signaling a bigger hit to demand for its
skincare and makeup products as the Delta variant brought in a line of fresh lockdowns in certain markets.
Renewed restrictions in Eastern markets which included China, a key revenue generating region for the company,
dampened demand for lipsticks and foundations as a resurgence in Delta variant cases led to closures of brick-and
-mortar stores. The Clinique cosmetics maker now expects net sales to rise between 12% and 15% in fiscal 2022,
down from its prior estimate of a 13% to 16% increase. Net sales rose to $4.39 billion in the first quarter, from
$3.56 billion a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected sales of $4.25 billion.
• Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA: The German dialysis specialist plans to cut costs and up to 5,000 jobs
globally - or about 4% of its workforce - as the Delta variant caused another spike in coronavirus-related patient
deaths in the third quarter. The company aims to reach annual cost cuts of 500 million euros by 2025, as it plans to
replace its four regions and some global functions with two divisions: care enablement and care delivery. FMC
maintained its forecast for net income to decline by a high-teens to mid-twenties percentage and sales growth in
the low- to mid-single-digits, but warned the numbers would come in the lower end of the ranges. FMC had
expected the death toll among dialysis patients, who are more susceptible to the virus, to normalise during the
second half of the year, but said it now saw a decline in the mortality rate only in the fourth quarter.
• KKR & Co Inc: The private equity firm said its third quarter distributable earnings more than doubled to $925.1
million, driven by strong growth in management fees and profit from asset sales in its private equity business. KKR
said its after-tax distributable earnings per share doubled to $1.05, exceeding the average Wall Street analyst
forecast of 93 cents. KKR said it invested $24 billion to buy new assets, including a majority stake Indian
cosmetics firm Vini Cosmetics for $625 million and the acquisition of several apartment buildings such as The
District at Scottsdale in Arizona. Under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), KKR said its net income
rose 7% to $1.1 billion, largely due to revenue from its insurance subsidiary, Global Atlantic.
• Marathon Petroleum Corp: The largest U.S. refiner swung to a quarterly profit as a rebound in fuel consumption
helped the company tide over the surging cost of crude oil. Marathon's total throughput, or the amount of crude
processed, rose to 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) from 2.5 bpd in the corresponding period last year. The
company also said it is pursuing strategic alternatives, which could include a sale, of its 68,000 bpd Kenai refinery
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near Anchorage, Alaska. Adjusted net earnings for the Ohio-based refiner stood at $464 million, or 73 cents per
share, for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with a loss of $649 million, or $1 per share, in the prior
year.
• Nutrien Ltd: The Canadian fertilizer company Nutrien on Monday raised its full-year adjusted profit outlook, as
strong global demand and tight supply helped it beat estimates in the third quarter. Nutrien increased its adjusted
net earnings forecast to between $5.85 and $6.10 per share, from $4.60 to $5.10 per share earlier. Analysts on
average were expecting $5.23 per share for the full year. On an adjusted basis, its profit of $1.38 per share slightly
beat an estimate of $1.24. Potash inventories remain below historic levels in key markets, with China accessing
strategic reserves, Nutrien said in a statement. Canpotex, the export company owned by Nutrien and Mosaic, has
said it sold out of potash through 2021.
• Pfizer Inc: The drugmaker raised the full-year sales forecast for its COVID-19 vaccine by 7.5% to $36 billion, as
it signs deals with countries for booster doses and receives clearances for using its shots in children. Driven by an
unprecedented vaccination drive against the COVID-19 pandemic globally, Pfizer's shot has quickly become one
of the best-selling products in the company's roughly 172-year history. The company, which was well known for
drugs such as Xanax and Viagra, equally splits expenses and profit with its German partner. Pfizer expects to
deliver 2.3 billion doses of the vaccine, out of the roughly 3 billion it expects to make this year. The company had
in July forecast sales of $33.5 billion from the vaccine it sells with BioNTech.
• Thomson Reuters Corp: The news and information company reported higher quarterly sales and raised its full-
year revenue forecast as it benefited from a recovering global economy. The parent company of Reuters News
said revenues rose 6% to $1.53 billion, compared to expectations of $1.5 billion. Adjusted earnings per share rose
to 46 cents. Four of five of Thomson Reuters' divisions - Legal Professionals, Tax & Accounting Professionals,
Corporates, and Reuters News - showed sales rising 6% on a constant currency basis. The company now expects
full-year revenues to increase 4.5-5.0%, compared with its previous forecast of 4.0-4.5%. Quarterly operating profit
fell 11% compared to the prior year when the company received a "significant" benefit from the revaluation of
warrants the company held in Refinitiv.
• Under Armour Inc: The apparel maker raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts, as people seek
comfortable casuals and athletic wear with their pandemic-hit social life still irregular and offices yet to open. Under
Armour forecast 2021 adjusted earnings per share to reach about 74 cents, compared with its prior range of 50
cents to 52 cents. Analysts on average expect profit per share of 55 cents. The athletic apparel maker forecast
2021 revenue to increase about 25%, compared with its previous forecast in low twenties. Analysts on average
expect revenue growth of 22.7%. Net revenue increased to $1.55 billion in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 from
$1.43 billion a year earlier. Analysts had expected $1.48 billion in revenue.
• Lazard Ltd: The investment bank is in advanced talks to acquire hedge fund firm Brigade Capital Management,
Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The news comes at a time
when asset managers are exploring ways to bolster their profitability amid fierce competition and lower fees from
the switch towards more passive investing by investors. Founded in 2006 and led by Don Morgan, Brigade
Capital's deal with Lazard will add to its asset management business, the report said. Both companies did not
immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
IPOs
• Rivian Automotive Inc: The electric vehicle manufacturer, which is backed by Amazon.com, is targeting a
valuation of more than $53 billion for its U.S. debut, making the company potentially almost as valuable as rival
Honda. The startup is looking to raise up to $8.4 billion, setting it up to be the third-largest initial public offering
(IPO) by funds raised in the past decade in the United States. While Rivian has yet to sell any significant volume of
its electric vans or trucks, it could likely be valued higher than Ferrari, although less than Honda, General Motors
or its backer Ford. Rivian said it would sell 135 million shares at a price range of between $57 and $62 each.
Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan are the lead underwriters. Rivian will list on the Nasdaq under
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In Other News
• Apple Inc: The company has cut back production of iPad tablets to allocate more components to the iPhone 13,
a sign the global chip supply crunch is hitting Apple harder than previously indicated, Nikkei said, citing multiple
sources. Production of the iPad was down half from Apple's original plans for the past two months, the newspaper
said on its website, adding that parts intended for older iPhones were also being switched to the iPhone 13. The
iPhone maker is prioritising iPhone 13 output in part because it forecasts stronger demand for the smartphone
than for the iPad as Western markets begin to emerge from the pandemic, Nikkei said, citing unidentified sources.
Even though iPhone 13 production hit a snag due to factory closures in Asia and high demand in the second half
of the year, Apple has weathered the supply crunch better than many other companies due to its massive
purchasing power and long-term supply agreements with chip vendors, eating into its rivals' market share in the
third quarter.
• BlackRock Inc: The world's largest money manager told Reuters it has raised a target-beating $673 million for
an infrastructure fund with backing from the French, German and Japanese governments to invest in climate-
focused projects such as renewable energy in emerging markets. The company hopes the fund, dubbed the
Climate Finance Partnership, will show how to mobilize private capital in developing countries to tackle climate
change, a sticking point at United Nations climate talks under way in Glasgow. Investors have been wary of
investing in risky projects without more certainty they will get a return. While a number of multibillion-dollar
renewable energy funds have been raised over the last year to help build out solar, wind and other projects, the
vast bulk has been spent in richer countries offering investors lower risk. Separately, THG's second-largest
shareholder BlackRock is offloading nearly half its stake in the company at a 10% discount, in the latest sign of
investor discontent with the British e-commerce group.
• Credit Suisse Group AG: The Swiss investment bank plans to accelerate its expansion in China, growing its
team on the mainland by three times in the next five years, China chief executive Janice Hu said. Speaking to a
media roundtable, Hu said that Credit Suisse has hired more than 120 people since gaining a majority stake in its
China securities joint venture in June 2020. Hu said that the bank was in close contact with regulators over cross-
border data transfers. "We are communicating with the regulator and our headquarters on a daily basis to achieve
a plan that regulators can agree with and is feasible for us ... this is at the core of our work," Hu said. She also said
the bank was in talks to provide financing for internet firms unable to list in the short term.
• Exxon Mobil Corp: Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina and American energy giant
Exxon Mobil signed an agreement to look at ways to use carbon capture storage (CCS) in the Southeast Asian
country. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed during the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish
city of Glasgow. The two firms agreed to "evaluate the potential for large-scale deployment of low-carbon
technologies in Indonesia," ExxonMobil said in a statement. "We are evaluating large-scale carbon capture and
storage projects that have the potential to make the greatest impact in the highest-emitting sectors around the
world," said Joe Blommaert, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. "And there are opportunities in
Indonesia and throughout Southeast Asia."
• Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Endo International PLC & Abbvie Inc: A
California judge on Monday said he would rule against several large counties that accused four drugmakers of
fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic, saying they failed during a trial to prove their $50 billion case. Orange County
Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson issued a tentative ruling finding Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries, Endo International and AbbVie's Allergan unit not liable. It marked the first trial win for any drug
companies in the more than 3,300 lawsuits filed by states and local governments over a drug abuse crisis that the
U.S. government says led to nearly 500,000 opioid overdose deaths over two decades. The ruling came as J&J
and the three largest U.S. drug distributors - McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc and AmersourceBergen -- work
to finalize a proposed deal to pay up to $26 billion to settle the thousands of cases against them.
• Meta Platforms Inc: In her first public address since she leaked a trove of damaging documents about
Facebook's inner workings, whistleblower Frances Haugen urged her former boss, Mark Zuckerberg, to step down
and allow change rather than devoting resources to a rebrand. "I think it is unlikely the company will change if
[Mark Zuckerberg] remains the CEO," Haugen told a packed arena on Monday at the opening night of the Web
Summit, a tech fest drawing dozens of thousands to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The former Facebook product
manager replied in the positive to the question of whether Zuckerberg should resign, and added: "Maybe it's a
chance for someone else to take the reins... Facebook would be stronger with someone who was willing to focus
on safety." Meanwhile, the company denied a claim by the Kazakh government that it had been granted exclusive
access to the social network's content reporting system.
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• Rogers Communication Inc: A battle for control of Rogers Communication Inc's (RCI) board wrapped up in a
Canadian court on Monday as lawyers for former chairman Edward Rogers said he had the authority to appoint a
new board without an in-person shareholder meeting, while company lawyers argued due processes were not
followed. RCI, Canada's largest wireless carrier, is embroiled in a boardroom battle after a feud in the founding
family erupted into the open, weighing on the stock and raising doubts about the fate of a multibillion-dollar
takeover. The judge has set Nov. 5 to decide on the validity of the new board. The dispute was triggered after
Edward Rogers, son of late founder Ted Rogers, tried to remove Chief Executive Joe Natale in September, saying
he had lost confidence in the CEO's ability to lead the merged entity after the planned C$20 billion takeover of
Shaw Communications goes through.
• Stellantis NV: The world's fourth-largest automaker is offering voluntary retirement program to pension-eligible
employees in the United States, the company said late Monday. The Netherlands-based firm said the early
retirement is available to workers who are at least 55 years old and have been with the company for 30 years or
who are at least 58 years old with 10 years of employment. The employees being offered the buyouts are already
eligible to retire. "To assist in our transition, and to align our business priorities to a new set of critical skills and
investment opportunities, Stellantis North America is offering a voluntary retirement program to eligible members of
our team," the company said in an emailed statement. Unionized-salaried employees are not eligible for the
buyouts, according to CNBC, which initially reported the development.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc: Japan's securities watchdog has launched an investigation into SMFG's
brokerage unit over employees' potential involvement in fraudulent stock transactions, the Nikkei business daily
said. The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission held its investigation at the Tokyo head office of
SMBC Nikko Securities Inc, Nikkei said, citing sources familiar with the matter. SMBC Nikko confirmed in a
statement that the company and its employees are being investigated, but declined to comment on details
because the probe is ongoing. Nikkei said the employees in question have denied any illegality in the transactions.
At issue are after-hours transactions SMBC Nikko conducted around 2020 for investors selling specific stocks in
large volumes, according to Nikkei.
• Tesla Inc: The carmaker is recalling nearly 12,000 U.S. vehicles sold since 2017 because a communication error
may cause a false forward-collision warning or unexpected activation of the emergency brakes, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said. The company said the recall of 11,704 Model S, X, 3 and Y
vehicles was prompted after a software update on Oct. 23 to vehicles in its limited early access version 10.3 Full-
Self Driving (FSD) (Beta) population. FSD is an advanced driver assistance system that handles some driving
tasks but Tesla says does not make vehicles autonomous. NHTSA said Tesla "uninstalled FSD 10.3 after
receiving reports of inadvertent activation of the automatic emergency braking system" and then "updated the
software and released FSD version 10.3.1 to those vehicles affected."
• VMware Inc: The newly independent company will look to pursue deeper deals with cloud computing providers
and consider "large scale" acquisitions that could help it grow, Chief Executive Raghu Raghuram told Reuters.
VMware on Monday completed its spinout from Dell Technologies, which owned 81% of the Palo Alto, California-
based software firm, to become a separate publicly traded company worth about $64 billion. Raghuram said now
that VMware is not under Dell's umbrella, he wants to aggressively pursue more of those deals. "This truly allows
us to go out and be the Switzerland of the industry," he said. VMware will also look to use its shares as a currency
for buying other companies to add technologies to its offerings.
INSIGHT
From Boeing to Mercedes, a U.S. worker rebellion swells over vaccine mandates
In Wichita, Kansas, nearly half of the roughly 10,000 employees at aircraft companies Textron Inc and Spirit
AeroSystems remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, risking their jobs in defiance of a federal mandate,
according to a union official. "We're going to lose a lot of employees over this," said Cornell Adams, head of the
local Machinists union district. Many workers did not object to the vaccines as such, he said, but were staunchly
opposed to what they see as government meddling in personal health decisions.
ANALYSTS' RECOMMENDATION
• Chegg Inc: Raymond James cuts rating to market perform from outperform, following a disappointing third-
quarter earnings report as headwinds pressure near-term growth profile.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co: Berenberg cuts target price to $77 from $85, citing a lower expected tax rate offsetting
higher-than-expected cost pressures on profit margins.
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• Ford Motor Co: Jefferies raises target price to $20 from $17, finding Ford management more in control of
operations and strategy than any time in the past two years despite industry uncertainty. They also said Ford is
early in an intense cycle of replacing and reviving key product franchise and playing to brand strengths with Ford
Pro.
• Phillips 66: RBC raises target price to $95 from $94, on view for strong refinery margins after the company
posted solid third-quarter earnings.
• Simon Property Group Inc: Piper Sandler raises target price to $180 from $165, based on the accelerated
recovery after the company reported third-quarter results that well exceeded expectations.
ECONOMIC EVENTS
No economic indicators are scheduled for release.
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EX-DIVIDENDS
Marketaxess Holdings Inc: Amount $0.66
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U.S. President Joe Biden attends the opening session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain,
November 1. Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS
The Financial and Risk business of Thomson Reuters is now Refinitiv. © 2021 Refinitiv. All rights reserved.
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