Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday: MP Materials — The rare earth miner soared more than 47% after the company announced the Defense Department would buy $400 million in preferred stock . “We remain a thriving public company. We now have a great new partner in our economically largest shareholder, DoD, but we still control our company. We control our destiny. We’re shareholder driven,” CEO James Litinsky told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” Delta Air Lines — Shares advanced 11% after the airline reinstated its 2025 profit outlook , and second-quarter revenue and net income exceeded analyst estimates. McDonald’s — The fast-food giant added about 2% following an upgrade at Goldman Sachs to buy from neutral. The bank said McDonald’s is better positioned than its competitors to gain cost-conscious customers. Brazilian stocks — The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) dropped 1% after President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports into the U.S. Brazil’s president said the country would respond with similar duties of its own targeting American products. Commercial and executive jet maker Embraer sank 6%. Hertz Global — The popular meme stock popped 12%, adding to its massive year-to-date gains. Hertz is up more than 118% in 2025. WK Kellogg — The breakfast food company gained 30% after agreeing to a buyout from Italian chocolate maker Ferrero for $23 a share in cash , valuing the Froot Loops maker at $3.1 billion. The deal was originally reported by the Wall Street Journal after the market close Wednesday. Mobileye — Shares slipped more than 2% after the company priced a secondary stock offering at $16.50 per share. Mobileye closed Wednesday’s session at $17.32 and traded around $16.80 on Thursday. Advanced Micro Devices — The chipmaker moved 3% higher following an upgrade to buy at HSBC. AMD said higher-than-expected pricing for its newest artificial-intelligence chip could add significant upside to revenue. Trex — The building materials maker rose more than 6% following an upgrade to outperform from neutral at Baird. The investment bank said demand for decking contractors appears set to rise year over year, which should boost Trex, which has fallen some 13% in 2025. PTC — The software stock pulled back more than 6%. Shares climbed more than 17% on Wednesday following a report from Bloomberg that Autodesk is considering a potential takeover of PTC, citing people familiar with the matter. Helen of Troy — The consumer products maker sank 23% on disappointing second-quarter guidance. Helen of Troy forecast earnings per share in the range of 45 cents to 60 cents, excluding one-time items, while analysts polled by FactSet were looking for $1.14. Helen of Troy sees revenue between $408 million and $432 million, versus the Street’s estimate of $470.2 million. — CNBC’s Michelle Fox contributed reporting.
