Key takeout
- The S&P 500 increased by 0.3% on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
- Johnson & Johnson’s stock rose after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly results.
- Universal Health Services saw its shares decline following a downgrade from BOFA analysts, who noted challenges related to recent healthcare legislation.
The major US stock index experienced a rise on Wednesday amidst President Donald Trump’s plans to potentially fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell—though there’s speculation about the legality of such an action.
The S&P 500 gained 0.3% during the week. The NASDAQ mirrored this growth, also up 0.3%, reaching record highs for the third consecutive day, while the Dow climbed by 0.5%.
Reports have emerged that activist investor Elliott Management has acquired a significant stake in financial technology companies, which led to a 6.5% surge in shares of Global Payments (GPN). This follows their earlier agreement to acquire the World Division of Payment Processors for over $24 billion in cash and stock transactions.
Shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) rose by 6.2%. The company surpassed sales and profit expectations in its second-quarter results, prompting an optimistic outlook for the second half of 2025. CEO Joaquin Duato mentioned that they anticipate growth due to upcoming approvals and submissions across various healthcare sectors.
Apollo Global Management (APO) is reportedly engaged in talks regarding investments in the Spanish football club Atletico Madrid. Their initial meeting centered around funding an €800 million development project linked to the Madrid Metropolitano Stadium, with a potential interest in acquiring a stake in the majority ownership of the club. Apollo’s stock rose by 4.8% during this time.
In contrast, shares of ANSYS (ANSS), a design software company, dropped by 4.7%, marking the weakest performance in the benchmark index for the day. This decline occurred after a brief profit boost earlier in the week when Chinese regulators gave conditional approval for ANSYS’ $35 billion acquisition by Synopsys (SNPS). Additionally, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that ANSYS will exit the S&P 500 later this week and be replaced by The Trade Desk (TDD).
Universal Health Services (UHS) faced a downgrade from Bank of America analysts, moving from “neutral” to “underperformance,” and revising their price targets downward. As a result, UHS stocks fell by 3.8%. Analysts expressed concerns over health policy implications, including Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, indicating that UHS is highly sensitive to state payment fluctuations.
Micron Technology (MU) shares decreased by 3.1% following Goldman Sachs’ placement of a “neutral” rating on its stock. Analysts noted that while Micron might benefit from a rebound in the NAND flash memory market by 2026, they remain cautious about general semiconductor industry trends, predicting that revenues will likely stay relatively stable until next year.
