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Pliant Therapeutics

Pliant Therapeutics Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases. Its primary product candidate is bexotegrast (PLN-74809), an oral, small molecule, that the company is developing for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Pliant Therapeutics Inc

WIIM

ALHC

streetTRACKS Dow Jones U.S. Large Cap Value Index Fund

Shares of health insurance stocks are trading lower in sympathy with UnitedHealth, which reported worse-than-expected Q1 results and cut its FY25 adjusted EPS guidance below estimates.

UnitedHealth shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected Q1 results and cut its FY25 adjusted EPS guidance below estimates.

HC Wainwright &amp; Co. analyst Heiko Ihle reiterates Avino Silver &amp; Gold Mines (AMEX:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ASM#AMEX">ASM</a>) with a Buy and maintains $2.2 price target.

News

Price Target

Reiteration

Analyst Ratings

HC Wainwright & Co. Reiterates Buy on Avino Silver & Gold Mines, Maintains $2.2 Price Target

Sale of Industry-Leading Payments Technology and Solutions Company Marks an Important Milestone in&nbsp;GTCR's Strategic Transformation in Partnership with Leaders Strategy&#x2122;&nbsp;CEO Charles Drucker
CHICAGO, April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --&nbsp;GTCR, a leading private equity firm, announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to sell Worldpay (the "Company"), a global leader in merchant acquiring and payments processing, to Global Payments (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GPN#NYSE">GPN</a>) for $24.25 billion as part of a transformative three-way transaction.
In July 2023, GTCR signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 55% majority stake in Worldpay from FIS&#xAE; (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FIS#NYSE">FIS</a>), a global leader in financial services technology. FIS retained the remaining 45% as part of the transaction. Under the terms of the sale agreement, Global Payments will acquire Worldpay from GTCR and FIS for $24.25 billion of cash and stock, while FIS will acquire Global Payments' Issuer Solutions business, at an enterprise value of $13.5 billion. As part of the Worldpay transaction, GTCR will receive 59% cash and 41% stock consideration and will continue to support the combined business through a successful integration and future growth. Upon closing, GTCR will own shares representing 15% of Global Payments' outstanding shares.
GTCR partnered with industry-veteran CEO Charles Drucker to acquire a majority stake in Worldpay from FIS in July 2023 behind a thesis of re-accelerating growth, affecting a seamless transition from FIS, and investing in innovative product and modern technology. Mr. Drucker&nbsp;assembled a world-class management team and executed a strategic vision centered on technology investments, operational improvements, and targeted acquisitions. Under Mr. Drucker's leadership, Worldpay expanded its global processing capabilities, launched innovative payment solutions, and enhanced its fraud prevention offerings. These initiatives supported new client wins, accelerated organic growth, and strengthened Worldpay's position as a leader in the global payments ecosystem.
The sale of Worldpay is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The sale of Worldpay and the sale of Global Payments' Issuer Solutions business are cross-conditioned upon one another and will close at the same time.
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GTCR Agrees To Sell Worldpay To Global Payments For $24.25B As Part Of Transformative Three-way Transaction

Hertz Global shares are trading higher after Pershing Square Capital Management disclosed a stake via a 13F. CNBC reported that Pershing Square's stake is 19.8%, through shares & swaps.

HC Wainwright &amp; Co. analyst Amit Dayal maintains ClearSign Technologies (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CLIR#NASDAQ">CLIR</a>) with a Buy and lowers the price target from $6 to $2.

CLIR

HC Wainwright & Co. Maintains Buy on ClearSign Technologies, Lowers Price Target to $2

Guidance Based on the Company's results for the first half of the fiscal 2025 and current market conditions, D.R. Horton is updating its guidance for fiscal 2025 as follows:
<ul>
<li>Consolidated revenues in the range of $33.3 billion to $34.8 billion</li>
<li>Homes closed by homebuilding operations of 85,000 homes to 87,000 homes</li>
<li>Consolidated cash flow provided by operations of greater than $3.0 billion</li>
<li>Share repurchases of approximately $4.0 billion</li>
</ul>

Guidance

D.R. Horton Revised FY25 Guidance For Revenue To $33.3B-$34.8B (From $36B-$37.5B) Vs $36.4B Est., Homes Closed By Homebuilding Operations To 85,000-87,000 Homes (From 90,000-92,000 Homes)

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General

Westwater Resources Announced That It Is Experiencing Increased Demand For Its Natural Graphite Anode Material That Will Be Produced From Its Kellyton Graphite Plant After The Implementation Of Global Tariffs

<ul>
<li>Acquisition of Global Payments' Issuer Solutions business (Issuer Solutions) strengthens FIS' position as a scaled fintech leader with global reach and a best-of-breed product suite</li>
<li>Issuer Solutions' credit processing offering will extend FIS' value proposition and drive long-term expected revenue synergies in excess of $125 million annually</li>
<li>Acquisition is expected to be accretive to Adjusted EBITDA margins, Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Free Cash Flow in the first 12 months, and unlock net EBITDA synergies of more than $150 million by year three</li>
<li>Transaction accelerates monetization of Worldpay stake with sale to Global Payments for $6.6 billion in pre-tax value</li>
<li>Sale of Worldpay and acquisition of Issuer Solutions replaces non-cash generating minority interest with growing recurring revenues, EBITDA and free cash flow</li>
<li>Company provides preliminary results for the first quarter of 2025, reiterates prior full year 2025 outlook and will host an investor conference call to discuss transactions at 8:30 a.m. (EDT)</li>
</ul>
FIS&#xAE; (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FIS#NYSE">FIS</a>), (the "Company") a global leader in financial technology, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Global Payments' (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GPN#NYSE">GPN</a>) Issuer Solutions business for an enterprise value of $13.5 billion, or a net purchase price of $12 billion including $1.5 billion of anticipated net present value of tax assets.
Concurrently, FIS has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its stake in Worldpay to Global Payments for $6.6 billion in pre-tax value. This transaction accelerates the monetization of the Company's minority stake in Worldpay.

FIS Agrees To Buy Global Payments' Issuer Solutions Business For Enterprise Value Of $13.5B; Co. Agrees To Sell Stake In Worldpay to Global Payments for $6.6B In Pre-tax Value

Outlook
We believe that our markets and our operations possess and have demonstrated continuing and considerable resilience against the uncertainties of the current environment. In 2025, Snap-on expects to make ongoing progress along its decisive runways for coherent growth, leveraging capabilities already proven in the automotive repair arena, developing and expanding its professional customer base, not only in automotive repair, but in adjacent markets, additional geographies and other areas, including extending in critical industries, where the cost and penalties for failure can be high. In pursuit of these initiatives, we project that capital expenditures in 2025 will approximate $100 million, of which $22.9 million was incurred in the first three months of the year.
Snap-on currently anticipates that its full-year 2025 effective income tax rate will be in the range of 22% to 23%.

Earnings

Snap-on Expects Continued Resilience In 2025, Focusing On Growth In Automotive Repair And Adjacent Markets, With Capital Expenditures Projected At $100M

Quantum computing research firm Project Eleven launched a bounty program on Wednesday to assess the threat of quantum computing to Bitcoin&#8217;s (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) security. The reward—one full unit of the apex cryptocurrency.
What Happened: Titled the Q-Day Prize, the competition&nbsp;targets the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/what-is-cryptography">Elliptic Curve Cryptography algorithm</a>, which secures Bitcoin transactions with public and private keys. The first team to break the &#8220;largest ECC key possible&#8221; using a quantum computer before April 5, 2026, will&nbsp;receive 1 BTC, currently trading at $84,600.
The initiative attempted to test quantum capabilities in real time and determine how &#8220;urgent&#8221; the threat was, Project Eleven said.
&#8220;Quantum computing is advancing fast, and the impact on cryptography is inevitable. Instead of waiting for breakthroughs to happen behind closed doors, we believe in facing this challenge head-on, in a transparent and rigorous manner.&#8221; 
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">We just launched the Q-Day Prize. 1 BTC to the first team to break a toy version of Bitcoin's cryptography using a quantum computer. Deadline: April 5, 2026 Mission: Protect 6M BTC (over $500B)
&mdash; Project 11 (@qdayclock) <a href="https://twitter.com/qdayclock/status/1912534686569755044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Project Eleven found that over 6.2 million BTC, worth nearly $530 billion, were vulnerable to quantum attacks owing to exposed public keys.
While Elliptic Curve Cryptography is currently secure against classical computers, a strong enough quantum computer might use Shor&#8217;s algorithm to effectively crack it in the years to come, the firm suggested.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44621245/gold-backed-cryptos-match-yellow-metals-highs-following-trumps-liberation-day-shock"></a><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44856286/solana-outpaces-bitcoin-ethereum-after-cathie-woods-ark-invest-piles-on-sols-new-canada-based-etf">Solana Breaks Free From Bitcoin, Ethereum Lag After Cathie Wood&#8217;s Ark Invest Accumulates New SOL Staking ETF</a>
Why It Matters: The launch of Google&#8217;s next-generation quantum chip, &#8220;Willow,&#8221; last year has s<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42455205/will-googles-new-willow-chip-break-bitcoin-some-dismiss-it-as-fantasy-while-others-flag-risk-that-isnt-immediate">parked concerns for Bitcoin&#8217;s cryptography</a> due to its rapid computation capabilities. The chip can solve a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes, a task that would take the world's fastest supercomputers 10 septillions, or 10^25, years to solve.
While some experts rejected any immediate dangers, others called for preemptive actions to prepare for the threat, such as switching to quantum-resistant algorithms.
A study led by the University of Kent&#8217;s School of Computing suggested that Bitcoin <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/24/12/42546731/bitcoin-could-require-over-300-days-of-downtime-to-prepare-it-for-the-quantum-era-shows-study-amid-google-willow-chip-concern">might need to undergo a costly and time-consuming update</a> process to ward off the threat from quantum computing. 
Read Next:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/25/04/44856786/bhutan-flexes-hydropower-for-bitcoin-mining-explores-sale-of-green-coins">Bhutan Flexes Hydropower For Bitcoin Mining, Explores Sale Of &#8216;Green&#8217; Coins</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a>&nbsp;and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/apis?utm_source=benzinga.com&amp;utm_campaign=article-bottom" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"></a>

Coverage of Bitcoin, Etherum, Ripple and all the latest digital currencies.

Cryptocurrency

Tech

$BTC

Too Expensive To Buy One Bitcoin? Earn It By Winning This Quantum Computing Challenge

HC Wainwright &amp; Co. analyst Scott Buck reiterates WidePoint (AMEX:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/WYY#AMEX">WYY</a>) with a Buy and maintains $7 price target.

HC Wainwright & Co. Reiterates Buy on WidePoint, Maintains $7 Price Target

Buybacks

In April 2025, The Board Of Directors Authorized The Repurchase Of Up To $5.0B Common Stock, Replacing The Previous Authorization, Which At That Time Had $1.1B Remaining Due To Repurchases Made Subsequent To Quarter End

Insteel Indus (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IIIN#NYSE">IIIN</a>) reported quarterly earnings of $0.55 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $0.27 by 103.7 percent. The company reported quarterly sales of $160.66 million which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $149.85 million by 7.21 percent. This is a 26.11 percent increase over sales of $127.39 million the same period last year.

IIIN

Insteel Indus Q2 2025 Adj EPS $0.55 May Not Be Comparable To $0.27 Estimate, Sales $160.66M Beat $149.85M Estimate

Needham analyst Laura Martin reiterates Perion Network (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PERI#NASDAQ">PERI</a>) from Hold to Hold.

PERI

Needham Reiterates Hold on Perion Networkto Hold

Snap-on (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SNA#NYSE">SNA</a>) reported quarterly earnings of $4.51 per share which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $4.84 by 6.82 percent. This is a 8.15 percent decrease over earnings of $4.91 per share from the same period last year. The company reported quarterly sales of $1.14 billion which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $1.20 billion by 4.56 percent. This is a 3.47 percent decrease over sales of $1.18 billion the same period last year.

Earnings Misses

Snap-on Q1 2025 GAAP EPS $4.51 Misses $4.84 Estimate, Sales $1.14B Miss $1.20B Estimate

Earnings Beats

KeyCorp Q1 2025 EPS From Continuing Operations $0.33, Sales $1.773B Beat $1.751B Estimate

D.R. Horton (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DHI#NYSE">DHI</a>) reported quarterly earnings of $2.58 per share which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $2.67 by 3.37 percent. This is a 26.7 percent decrease over earnings of $3.52 per share from the same period last year. The company reported quarterly sales of $7.73 billion which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $8.03 billion by 3.71 percent. This is a 15.08 percent decrease over sales of $9.11 billion the same period last year.

D.R. Horton Q2 2025 GAAP EPS $2.58 Misses $2.67 Estimate, Sales $7.73B Miss $8.03B Estimate

HOFT

Hooker Furnishings Announces Additional Annualized Cost Savings Of $8M - $10M In FY26

Russian President Vladimir Putin lauded SpaceX and Tesla (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) CEO Elon Musk, drawing a comparison between him and Sergei Korolev, the architect of the Soviet Union&#8217;s space victories in the mid-20th century.
What Happened: Putin praised Musk while discussing Russia&#8217;s space policy with students. He drew an analogy between Musk and&nbsp;Sergei Korolev, the chief engineer&nbsp;behind the Soviet Union&#8217;s first manned spaceflight in 1961, reported Reuters.
Putin was <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1944627">quoted </a>by TASS, the state news agency, as saying, &#8220;You know, there&#8217;s&nbsp;a person who lives in&nbsp;the States, you could say&nbsp;that he&#8217;s absolutely crazy about Mars.&#8221; He went on to add, &#8220;Such&nbsp;people rarely appear in the&nbsp;human population, charged with a&nbsp;certain idea. Even though it&nbsp;may seem incredible to me&nbsp;today, after a time such&nbsp;ideas are often realized.&#8221;
This isn&#8217;t the first instance of Putin expressing admiration for Musk, the founder of space technology firm SpaceX. He has previously referred to Musk as &#8220;an outstanding person.&#8221;
SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/25/04/44855242/charlie-munger-once-highlighted-how-warren-buffetts-lifelong-learning-made-berkshire-hathaways-success-possible-and-the-crucial-lesson-you-can-take-from-it" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Charlie Munger Once Said Warren Buffett Is A &#8216;Learning Machine&#8217; And That&#8217;s What Lies Beneath Berkshire Hathaway&#8217;s Success From One Decade To Another &#8211; Benzinga</a>
Why It Matters: Notably, <a href="https://benzinga.com/general/space/24/10/41555246/elon-musks-chats-with-vladimir-putin-make-washington-squirm-tesla-ceo-says-top-secret-security-clea">as per a Wall Street Journal report in October</a>, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed concern over reports of suspected conversations between Elon Musk and Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, &#8220;If the story is true&#8230; then I think that would be concerning, particularly for NASA, for the Department of Defense, for some of the intelligence agencies." SpaceX, which holds numerous high-value government contracts, is the main rocket launch partner for both NASA and the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, Musk, a key advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, has <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=musk+ukraine+benzinga&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enIN1085IN1086&amp;oq=musk+ukraine+benzinga&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg8MgYIAhBFGDzSAQg1OTY4ajBqNKgCALACAA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">become more vocal in his criticism</a> of Ukraine, which has been in conflict with Russia since 2022.
<ul>
<li>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/news/global/25/04/44856008/china-dismisses-trumps-tariff-numbers-game-files-wto-complaint-talks-can-only-proceed-based-on-mutual" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">China Dismisses Trump&#8217;s Tariff &#8216;Numbers Game,&#8217; Files WTO Complaint: Talks Can Only Proceed Based On &#8216;Mutual Respect&#8217;</a></li>
</ul>
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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