Stocks to Watch: CSX, Aclaris, Alnylam, Rigel
December 15 2017 - 9:26AM
Dow Jones News
By Cara Lombardo
Companies with shares expected to trade actively in Friday's
session include CSX Corp. (CSX), Aclaris Therapeutics Inc. (ACRS),
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALNY) and Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(RIGL).
CSX shares dropped 12% premarket Friday on news that Chief
Executive Hunter Harrison was taking a medical leave for an
undisclosed illness. The veteran railroad executive's absence puts
into question whether or not he will be able to carry out a
turnaround at CSX, whose stock had been energized after he was
installed.
Aclaris shares rose 1% premarket after the company said it
received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its
skin-treatment Eskata. Eskata treats non-cancerous skin growths
called raised seborrheic keratoses, which affects more than 83
million Americans, according to the company.
Alnylam's stock rose 5% premarket after the company said the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted its clinical hold on
studies for its hemophilia treatment, fitusiran. Alnylam and the
FDA had previously reached an agreement to mitigate risk during
studies of the drug, which Alnylam is developing with a unit of
Sanofi (SNY).
Rigel shares rose 3.6% premarket after the company said its
longtime chief financial officer, Ryan Maynard, would resign at the
end of the month. Rigel CEO Raul Rodriguez said recent financing
positions the company to prepare for the potential launch of one of
its treatments, making it the right time for a transition.
Hess Corp. (HES) is up 5.5% before the bell on the news the
energy company is facing fresh pressure from activist investor
Elliott Management, which is hoping to either remove CEO John B.
Hess or push him to consider selling all or part of the
company.
Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) rose 2% in premarket action after
beating forecasts with its earnings out late Thursday.
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) is up 2.7% after the retailer
reported fiscal first-quarter earnings and sales above Wall Street
forecasts.
Write to Cara Lombardo at cara.lombardo@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 15, 2017 09:11 ET (14:11 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.