Las Vegas Sands Soars; Molina Healthcare Falls as Medical Costs Mount

A casino, hotel, and resort operator touted benefits from recent projects in Asia as factors behind its strong quarterly performance, and its shares powered higher. Meanwhile, a health insurer’s stock plunged after the company reported increasing medical costs, especially in its government-sponsored plans.

Major U.S. equities indexes advanced Thursday as more earnings results rolled in ahead of key inflation data set for release on Friday morning. Surging oil prices helped boost the energy sector, and tech stocks bounced back from Wednesday’s negative session. The S&P 500 gained 0.6%, while the Dow was up 0.3%. The Nasdaq jumped 0.9%. Read more reporting from Investopedia on the day’s major market stories.

Although Dow (DOW) fell short of analysts’ estimates with its third-quarter net sales, the chemical giant reported a narrower-than-expected loss for the period, and its shares climbed 13% Thursday. The company acknowledged pricing and demand challenges but pointed to cost-cutting measures and positive contributions from new assets on the U.S. Gulf Coast as reasons for optimism.

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) shares soared 12.4% after the casino operator posted better-than-expected revenue and adjusted earnings per share for the third quarter. CEO Robert Goldstein highlighted benefits from recently completed investments in its Macau and Singapore properties. The company also increased its existing stock buyback authorization and boosted its annual dividend.

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) jumped 10.9% in the wake of a strong third-quarter earnings report. The provider of pharmaceutical packaging and delivery systems surpassed top- and bottom-line estimates for the period and boosted its full-year sales and profit outlook, citing strong demand for components used in injectable GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes treatments.

Oil prices surged after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies. Shares of exploration and production firm APA Corp. (APA) jumped 7.6%, leading oil and gas stocks higher.

Molina Healthcare (MOH) shares plunged 17.5%, the most of any stock in the S&P 500, after the health insurer missed quarterly earnings per share forecasts. Molina’s medical cost ratio—a key metric that reflects the share of premiums that insurers pay out in medical claims—was higher than a year ago, leading the company to lower its annual profit forecast for the third time this year. Cost pressures were especially acute for plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Shares of Super Micro Computer (SMCI) dropped 8.7% after the AI server specialist cut its sales forecast for its fiscal first quarter of 2026. The company cited a shift in delivery schedules that pushed back some revenue from major AI customers into the following quarter.

Equipment rental company United Rentals (URI) posted mixed third-quarter results, topping revenue forecasts but missing profit estimates. Inflationary pressure, increased delivery costs, and soft pricing in the market for used equipment weighed on the company’s results. Shares slid 7.8%.