Zion & Western Alliance Plummet, HP Drops, JB Hunt Climbs

On this episode of Stock Movers:

- Shares of regional banks Zion (ZION) and Western Alliance (WAL) tumbled Thursday after the companies said they were the victims of fraud on loans to funds that invest in distressed commercial mortgages, fueling concern that more cracks are emerging in the credit markets. Zions Bancorp sank 12% after it disclosed a $50 million charge-off for a loan underwritten by its wholly-owned subsidiary, California Bank & Trust, in San Diego. And Western Alliance Bancorp tumbled almost 11% after it said it made loans to the same borrowers. Zions and Western Alliance were the biggest decliners in the KBW Bank Index, which posted its steepest drop in six months.

- HP (HPE) shares fell the most in six months after the company gave an outlook for profit and cash flow for its upcoming fiscal year that missed analysts’ estimates, reflecting a margin crunch in the AI era.  Earnings, excluding some items, will be $2.20 to $2.40 a share in the year ending in October 2026. Free cash flow will be $1.5 billion to $2 billion, HPE said Wednesday in a statement. Analysts, on average, projected profit of $2.41 and free cash flow of $2.41 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The shares declined as much as 11% to $22.39 after markets opened in New York on Thursday, their biggest intraday drop since April 4. The stock had gained 17% this year through Wednesday’s close.

- JB Hunt (JBHT) shares rose as much as 18% on Thursday, the biggest intraday jump since 1998, after the transportation and logistics company reported third quarter earnings that beat the average analyst estimate helped by better cost control measures.  

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