In partnership with
After a blowout earnings report showing a 235% jump in net income and a raise in full-year guidance, one healthcare operator is emerging as a potential leader in its sector.
With momentum on its side and operational tailwinds strengthening, investors are asking whether the breakout rally is only just beginning.
$6B Team Just Unleashed Cinderella on a $2T Market
Cinderella isn’t looking for her glass slipper— she’s busy smashing the $2T media market to pieces.
Elf Labs spent a decade at the US Patent & Trademark office in a historic effort to lock up 100+ historic trademarks to icons like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel and more — characters that have generated billions for giant studios. Now they’re fusing their IP with patented AI/AR to build a new entertainment category the big players can’t copy.
And the numbers prove it’s working.
In just 12 months they raised $8M, closed a nationwide T-Mobile–supported telecom deal, launched patented interactive content, and landed a 200M-TV distribution partnership.
This isn’t a startup. It’s a takeover. And investors are sprinting to get in.
Lock in your ownership now
This is a paid advertisement for Elf Lab’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://www.elflabs.com/
Markets
U.S. stocks slipped as fading hopes for a December rate cut and renewed fears over a potential AI bubble offset strong earnings from Nvidia and Walmart.
DJIA [-0.84%]
S&P 500 [-1.56%]
Nasdaq [-2.15%]
Russell 2k [-1.77%]
Market-Moving News
Healthcare
A Monster $23 Billion Buyout That Pushes Abbott Into a Whole New Era
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) is making a massive splash with a deal worth up to $23 billion for Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS).
The company wants a long-term play that keeps its diagnostics engine humming as pandemic-era testing fades.
Cologuard now sits inside Abbott’s world, giving the brand a trusted cancer screening blockbuster with global potential.
You instantly see a business aiming for steady demand rather than unpredictable surges.
Preventative Care Gets a Power Boost
Exact Sciences brings Abbott deeper into a field where early detection decides everything. Healthcare systems want tools that save money by catching problems early, and Abbott plans to ride that wave.
More preventative diagnostics mean more recurring tests and less reliance on one-off events.
Your view of Abbott changes once you picture it sitting at the center of the screening universe.
A Deal With Long Game Energy
Abbott is chasing multi-decade revenue streams instead of short spurts tied to crises. A bigger oncology pipeline helps the company compete with rivals building their own cancer platforms.
Cross-platform integration could turn these tools into something far more powerful once Abbott connects them across its labs and systems.
When you look at this buyout in a year or two, you may see it as the point where Abbott secured a future shaped by steady demand, stronger science, and a far more stable business model.
Private Equity
KKR Fires Up a $15 Billion Asia Charge With Its Boldest Fund Yet
KKR (NYSE: KKR) just kicked off fundraising for a $15 billion Asia private equity fund, and the scale alone is enough to get the region's attention.
The firm wants to ride the momentum building across markets where deal flow and exits are finally speeding up again.
Consumer, life sciences, financial services, healthcare, and industrials remain the core focus.
You suddenly see KKR planting flags across sectors shaped by demographics, rising incomes, and long expansion cycles.
Asia’s Growth Engines Start Roaring Again
Japan and India are pulling in global capital at a pace few expected two years ago. KKR
wants this fund to stretch across those cycles instead of leaning too hard on one country.
Fresh liquidity from recent exits gives the firm a strong scoreboard to show potential.
Your expectations shift quickly when a manager returns billions and then launches a record-sized raise right after.
A Fund Built for Heavyweight Territory
A supportive IPO window, additional carve-outs, and a stronger M&A pipeline make this a prime moment to secure new commitments.
The firm sees a wave of buyout openings big enough to fill a vehicle of this size.
Global capital keeps tilting toward regions with deeper structural growth, and Asia fits that wish list perfectly.
You might look back and realize this raise marked KKR’s step into a new class of dominance.
Upside Starts Here (Sponsored)
Growth-driven investors are using a disciplined method to position for the next crypto cycle, and this free resource breaks it down step-by-step.
Inside, the framework highlights a core building block, satellite opportunities for strategic surges, and a bold long-term vehicle meant for major market swings.
Availability is extremely limited, with access expiring at midnight.
Others are already grabbing their copies and gaining the advantage.
Get your free download before the deadline hits.
Telecom
A Company Shaking Off the Old Playbook in One Brutal Move
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) just launched its largest restructuring ever, removing more than 13,000 roles to rebuild the company from the inside out. The plan aims to clean up years of stacked management layers and slow-moving systems.
Competition in wireless keeps heating up, and Verizon wants a version of itself that makes decisions quicker, serves customers faster, and runs without the heavy drag of bloated operations.
You notice how different the company feels once those layers start disappearing.
Less Noise, More Speed, Real Pressure
The cuts are laser-focused on internal functions, not quick savings. Verizon wants a reset that reshapes the foundation instead of patching symptoms.
Rivals have been pouring money into networks and customer acquisition, and Verizon needs a sharper engine to keep up.
Your view of the telecom race changes when the biggest player suddenly trims this aggressively.
A Slimmer Company With Sharper Teeth
Verizon is pulling back outsourced labor and moving key work back under one roof.
Consolidation gives the company better control over execution and frees up cash for digital upgrades, customer tools, and network reliability.
The wireless market is a full-contact sport now, and every mistake costs real ground.
You can feel Verizon trying to reset the whole game as it strips out the old blueprint and builds a faster, cleaner version of itself for the next decade of connectivity.
Want to make sure you never miss our post-market roundup?
Elite Trade Club now offers text alerts — so you get trending stocks and market-moving news sent straight to your phone right after the closing bell rings.
Email’s great. Texts are faster.
Top Winners and Losers
PACS Group Inc [PACS] $26.18 (+55.53%)
PACS soared to a 52-week high after posting earnings for the first time in a year, reporting a 235% jump in Q3 net income and raising full-year revenue guidance.
Cerence Inc [CRNC] $10.10 (+27.53%)
Cerence rallied after smashing Q3 earnings expectations with a surprise profit and 10% revenue beat, defying forecasts of a steep loss.
Magnera Corporation [MAGN] $10.15 (+27.51%)
Magnera spiked after beating Q4 sales estimates and flipping to operating profitability, with record free cash flow.
Bath & Body Works Inc [BBWI] $15.85 (-24.69%)
Bath & Body Works sank after missing Q3 estimates and slashing full-year guidance, signaling persistent demand softness and shrinking same-store sales.
Universal Technical Institute Inc [UTI] $23.45 (-20.48%)
Universal Technical Institute declined as a disappointing 2026 earnings forecast overshadowed strong Q3 results, raising doubts about the company’s long-term growth trajectory.
SanDisk Corp [SNDK] $195.96 (-20.33%)
SanDisk dipped as options data revealed a surge in bearish bets by large traders, sparking concerns over potential negative developments ahead.
Trivia: Which U.S. coin once included real silver until 1964?
Market Move Insight (Sponsored)
AI investment is entering a new phase as U.S. companies scale production, data systems and cloud capabilities.
A newly released report highlights 9 stocks with meaningful AI integration and momentum building beneath the surface.
These opportunities span chip development, analytics and domestic cloud capacity—segments expected to see heavy growth.
Market awareness is rising quickly.
Access the Free Report
Everything Else
The US added jobs in September, but unemployment hit 4.4 percent, showing the labor market’s not as steady as it looks.
Walmart boosted its outlook after reeling in shoppers from all income levels, proving everyone loves a cheap win.
Big companies are flocking to Nasdaq as the tech tilt gets stronger, turning the exchange into corporate America’s new comfort zone.
Paramount Skydance is swinging big for UK Champions League rights, aiming to turn streaming ambition into a headline goal.
Bitcoin bears are taking the wheel, with rising bets that the year wraps up under $90,000.
That's it for today! Please, write us back, and let us know what you think of the Closing Bell Roundup. We're always eager to hear feedback!
Thanks for reading. I'll see you at the next open!
Best Regards,
— Adam G.
Elite Trade Club
Click here to get our daily newsletter straight to your cell for free.
P.S. Just like this newsletter, it's 100% free*, and you can stop at any time by replying STOP.
