Warren Buffett’s investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway, revealed a stake of five million shares in UnitedHealth (UNH), valued at about $1.6 billion, sending the health insurer’s stock soaring 14%. This move has also sparked interest from other investors, including Michael Burry and David Tepper, who disclosed sizable stakes in the company.
UnitedHealth’s gain marked the best day for the stock since 2008. The company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue topped Wall Street expectations, further boosting investor confidence.
However, not all stocks are performing well. Applied Materials (AMAT) plummeted 13% after its current-quarter outlook trailed estimates from analysts. The semiconductor equipment manufacturer’s fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue still managed to beat expectations, but the disappointing outlook outweighed this positive news.
Intel (INTC) rose over 3% after reports emerged that the Trump administration is in talks to buy a stake in Intel, which could help fund factories being built in Ohio. Cisco Systems (CSCO), on the other hand, dropped 3% following a downgrade from HSBC, who cited lukewarm quarterly results.
Data storage provider Sandisk (SNDK) suffered losses of nearly 11% after revealing a decrease in its non-GAAP gross margin to 26.4% from 36.4% a year ago. Twilio (TWLO), which will join the S&P MidCap 400 index, climbed 5% following the removal of Amedisys due to UnitedHealth’s acquisition.
Evolv Technologies (EVOL) jumped 16% after it narrowed its second-quarter loss and received clearance from the Justice Department regarding an investigation. Flowers Foods (FFMI), which makes Nature’s Own and Dave’s Killer Bread, fell more than 4% following disappointing revenue and adjusted EBITDA results.
Opendoor Technologies (OPEN) rose 10% after announcing CEO Carrie Wheeler’s departure, paving the way for a new leadership transition process. Wingstop (WING), a chicken wing chain, gained over 4% after being upgraded to strong buy by Raymond James due to its attractive valuation and Smart Kitchen systems.
Roblox (RBLX) dropped more than 7% after Louisiana’s attorney general sued the company for allegedly failing to prevent child predators on its platform. Target (TGT), a retailer, fell as much as 2.2% before briefly recovering, after Bank of America downgraded it to underperform and adjusted its price target.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/15/stocks-making-big-moves-midday-unh-amat-sndk-csco-evlv-flo-.html