Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Target — The retailer fell almost 2% after Bank of America downgraded Target to underperform from neutral and trimmed its price target on the stock. Target’s long-term outlook is deteriorating as the company falls further behind its peers, the bank said. Ulta Beauty and Target also agreed to end their partnership . UnitedHealth — The health insurer rallied 11% premarket. The advance came after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed a stake of five million shares, worth about $1.6 billion. The “Big Short” investor Michael Burry and Appaloosa Management’s David Tepper also disclosed sizable stakes in the company. If the UNH gains hold through the end of the session, it will mark the stock’s best day in five years. Applied Materials — The semiconductor equipment manufacturer plunged roughly 14% after the company’s current-quarter outlook trailed estimates from analysts polled by LSEG. Applied Materials’ fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue topped Wall Street expectations. Intel — Intel climbed more than 3% in early trading Friday, adding to Thursday’s 7% gain. The chipmaker jumped after Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration is in talks to buy a stake in Intel , which would help fund factories Intel is building in Ohio. Sandisk — The data storage provider lost nearly 11% after Sandisk said fourth-quarter non-GAAP gross margin dropped to 26.4% from 36.4% a year ago. Rivian — The electric vehicle maker’s shares edged down 1%. Rivian said the rollback of fuel economy standards under the Trump administration is holding up $100 million of revenue tied to regulatory credit contracts, the Wall Street Journal eported . Hims & Hers — Shares fell 2.7% following a Bloomberg report , citing sources familiar, that said the Federal Trade Commission is investigating the company’s business practices. The FTC is reportedly reviewing whether Hims & Hers makes it too hard for customers to cancel their subscriptions. — CNBC’s Yun Li and Sarah Min contributed reporting.
