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The S&P 500 rose by 0.4% on May 15th, buoyed by a report indicating an uptick in retail sales, despite some retailers expressing concerns about potential tariff effects.
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Strong revenue figures positively impacted Steris, which specializes in sterilizers and personal protective equipment, lifting its share value.
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In contrast, Fiserv’s stock dipped after the company announced that it doesn’t expect much acceleration in growth for its Clover platform this quarter.
The major US stock indexes showed mixed results following the retail sales update. After starting the day on a downturn, the S&P 500 managed to close up 0.4%. The Dow increased by 0.7%, while the Nasdaq fell by 0.2%, largely due to underperformance in the tech sector.
Steris saw a significant 8.5% rise in shares after exceeding net profit expectations for the fourth quarter. The company’s revenue grew across its Healthcare and Applied Sterilization Technology segments.
Concerns about rising tariffs pressured Walmart’s CFO. Meanwhile, the stock of Dollar General climbed 6.0%. Analysts observed that retailers like Dollar General and Dollar Tree might have some capacity to raise their prices.
HCA Healthcare stocks jumped by 4.9% following Bank of America raising its stock price target and reaffirming a “buy” rating, thanks to strong demand for HCA’s services and effective cost control.
Fiserv’s CFO indicated that growth for the Clover platform is not expected to improve this quarter, as the past growth was driven mainly by existing clients shifting to the platform. This led to a hefty 16.2% drop in Fiserv’s shares on that Thursday.
UnitedHealth Group’s stock fell by 10.9% amid reports of a Department of Justice investigation into potential Medicare fraud, compounding prior stock declines linked to the CEO’s recent departure and halted 2025 forecasts.
First Solar’s shares decreased by 3.5%, partially retracting gains made earlier in the week, following Congressional proposals that seemed to support the solar industry’s outlook.
