Stocks moving big midday: WW, MRNA, KMX

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.

WW International – Shares of the WeightWatchers parent surged 48%. Goldman Sachs upgraded the diet company to a buy from neutral rating late Monday, saying shares could more than triple as WW International pushes into the obesity medication market.

CarMax — The car retailer’s shares jumped 10% after it announced a beat on its earnings for the fourth quarter. CarMax posted earnings of 44 cents per share, while analysts polled by Refinitiv had anticipated 24 cents per share. Meanwhile, the company’s revenue of $5.72 billion missed analysts’ estimates of $6.04 billion.

Mohawk Industries — Shares of the flooring manufacturer gained 5% after Loop Capital upgraded the company to buy from its previous hold rating. The firm maintained its price target of $115, which suggests Mohawk could gain 21.4% since Monday’s close.

Moderna – The biotech stock lost about 4% after the company said that its flu vaccine trial fell short of the criteria for early success in a late-stage trial. There weren’t enough cases of infection among the people who received the shot, the company said.

Tesla — Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker gained 1% in midday trading Tuesday. The company implemented a slew of new price cuts on its website on Friday, which pushed shares lower on Monday. The cuts range from 2% to nearly 6% for U.S. vehicles, and is the fifth price cut for the EV maker. Tougher standards to qualify electric vehicles for a $7,500 tax credit has also caused some concern for the company.

WisdomTree — Shares of the financial firm gained 3% after the company said it had $1.9 billion of net flows in March. The company now has more than $90.7 billion in total assets under management.

New York Community Bancorp — Shares of the regional bank gained 2.7% after Jefferies upgraded the stock to buy from hold. The investment firm said NYCB’s move to acquire parts of Signature Bank strengthened its balance sheet.

Whirlpool – Shares of the kitchen and laundry company rose more than 4% midday after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, citing its valuation. The firm said channel checks show promotions in March in North America have stabilized and that that could support pricing and drive profitability.

Akamai Technologies – Shares added 2.6% the day after Piper Sandler analyst James Fish upgraded Akamai to overweight from neutral. The analyst said the recent fall in the cloud stock, which is down 5% this year, “presents an opportunity to own this contrarian name.”

LendingClub — The lending stock gained 5% after JPMorgan initiated coverage of the stock at overweight. The firm said the stock may be oversold with investors skittish about balance sheets and the potential for a recession. 

Murphy Oil — The natural gas company’s shares gained 2.6% after Truist upgraded shares to buy from hold. The firm also raised its price target on the stock to $56 from $49, which implies about 45% upside from Monday’s close price.

— CNBC’s Alex Harring, Tanaya Macheel, Sarah Min, Samantha Subin, Brian Evans, Jesse Pound and Pia Singh contributed reporting