Check out the companies making headlines before the market opens. Starbucks — Shares of the coffee chain rose more than 2% after Bernstein upgraded its stock rating to outperform. The company is optimistic about new CEO Brian Niccol, who will take office on September 9. Shares of the regional bank rose more than 4% after the stock was upgraded to overweight. Micron Technology (Micron Technology), chip stock – Micron Technology reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter revenue guidance, and its stock price soared nearly 17%. Other chip stocks also rose in tandem Thursday morning. Nvidia rose 2%, while ASML Holding’s U.S.-listed shares rose nearly 5%. Meta Platforms — Shares of Meta Platforms rose more than 1% in one day after the company announced the launch of a new entry-level virtual reality headset and prototype of augmented reality smart glasses. Bank of America raised its price target on the tech giant following the news, citing “renewed optimism” about personal computing devices and new artificial intelligence capabilities. NRG Energy — The energy stock rose nearly 4% after raising full-year guidance. The company now forecasts an adjusted EBITDA range of $3.53 billion to $3.68 billion, compared with the previous range of $3.3 billion to $3.55 billion. GE Healthcare Technologies — Shares of GE Healthcare Technologies fell more than 1% after UBS downgraded the company to sell from neutral. Analyst Graham Doyle said growth in the near to medium term was likely to be weaker than expected, pointing to risks in its China business. Bilibili – Shares of the U.S.-listed Chinese Internet stock rose nearly 12% after Goldman Sachs upgraded its rating to “buy” from “neutral.” The company highlighted the company’s monetization and earnings potential. CarMax — The used car retailer fell about 7%. Although CarMax’s fiscal second-quarter sales beat expectations, it also increased its provisions for loan losses. Jefferies Financial Group — Shares of the investment bank fell more than 1% after reporting third-quarter results. Jefferies said it earned 75 cents a share on revenue of $1.62 billion due to higher trading volume. Southwest Airlines — The travel stock rose about 5% after Southwest Airlines raised its third-quarter revenue forecast. The airline also announced a new share buyback program and plans to change its business model to fend off activist investor Elliott Management. Sonos – Shares of the speaker company fell more than 6% after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to underweight from overweight. Analyst Erik Woodring believes the backlash to the company’s May app redesign will have a greater impact on the company’s top and bottom-line metrics than the market currently expects. —CNBC’s Alex Harring, Samantha Subin, Jesse Pound and Sarah Min contributed reporting
