FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Extension Nudges US Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell

-- US equity futures were higher pre-bell Friday as Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire by three weeks in a meeting at the White House.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.1% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.5%, and Nasdaq futures were 1.4% lower.

Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon has been a key discussion point in negotiations to end the conflict in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to vessels, while the US maintains its blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump said he was not in a hurry to reach a peace agreement with Iran, saying he wanted to make it "everlasting." He had extended the US-Iran ceasefire, calling the Iranian government "fractured," but Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday denied Trump's claim of disunity in the country's leadership.

Traders tracked the latest round of earnings, with Procter & Gamble (PG) reporting higher fiscal Q3 financial results and HCA Healthcare (HCA) posting an increase in Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 0.5% at $104.57 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 1.2% lower at $94.66 per barrel.

The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for April, scheduled at 10 am ET, is expected to show consumer sentiment index coming in at 48.5, compared with the preliminary reading of 47.6, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Related Articles

Research

Research Alert: CFRA Maintains Hold Rating On Shares Of United Rentals Inc.

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We lift our 12-month target price to $1,100 from $950 following a strong first quarter, valuing shares at 20.5x our 2027 EPS outlook of $54.28 (in line with previous estimate; 2026 EPS also in line). We believe a higher multiple is justified given URI's firming market leadership within an expanding rental equipment industry. A robust Q1 beat enabled URI to raise its full-year revenue guidance to $16.9B-$17.4B and adjusted EBITDA to $7.625B-$7.875B, citing momentum heading into a busy season. With leverage well below historical levels, we believe accretive M&A deals could serve as a potential catalyst for additional guidance increases. Margin compression has been a sticky issue for URI, but Q1 indicated that pricing may have turned around and that headwinds are starting to ease as quarterly results begin to lap when tariff-related inflation began to pick-up. We remain cautious on margins, though are encouraged by signs of stabilization. New project activity is likely supporting pricing trends, in our view.

$URI
Equities

Petro Rabigh Emerges From Loss in Q1; Revenue Grows

Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (SASE:2380), d/b/a Petro Rabigh, said Sunday it swung back to profit in the first quarter of 2026, while revenue increased year over year.Net profit attributable to shareholders of the issuer for the three months ended March 31 was 1.47 billion Saudi riyals, compared with the attributable loss of 691 million riyals earlier. EPS moved to 0.88 riyal from a loss per share of 0.41 riyal.The Tadawul-listed oil refining and petrochemical company's revenue was 14.85 billion riyals, compared with 11.21 billion riyals a year ago.

$SASE:2380
Research

Research Alert: CFRA Keeps Buy Opinion On Shares Of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc.

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We trim our 12-month target price by $8 to $155, valuing HIG shares at 11.3x our 2026 operating EPS estimate of $13.75 (cut by $0.45) and at 10.6x our 2027 EPS estimate of $14.65 (cut by $0.30), vs. the shares' one-year average forward multiple of 10.3x and peer average of 13x. Q1 EPS of $3.09 vs. $2.20 a year ago missed our $3.60 estimate and $3.39 consensus view. Operating revenue growth of 6.2% was in line with our 6%-10% forecast, amid 5.3% earned premium growth, 13% higher net investment income, and 7.9% fee revenue growth. Q1 written premium growth of 4% and full-year 2025 growth of 7% bode well for 2026 revenue trends as premiums are earned. Underwriting results improved significantly, with Personal Lines combined ratio improving to 87.7% from 106.1% and underlying combined ratio to 85.0% from 89.7%. Business Insurance combined ratio was stable at 94.8%. Weighing the Q1 EPS miss with HIG's decent top-line growth and discounted valuation to peers, we view the shares as undervalued.

$HIG