By Francesca Fontana

The Score is a weekly review of the biggest stock moves and the news that drove them.

Intel

Two Intel rivals are eyeing deals that would break the storied chipmaker in two.

Broadcom has been closely examining Intel's chip-design and marketing business, The Wall Street Journal reported on Feb. 15, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has studied controlling some or all of Intel's chip plants.

Broadcom and TSMC aren't working together, and the talks are preliminary and largely informal. But the end result could be a breakup of the American icon that spent many decades dominating the chip business.

Intel's recent struggles -- including manufacturing setbacks, a costly turnaround strategy and AI missteps -- have made the onetime chip leader an acquisition target. Last September, the Journal reported that Qualcomm had made a takeover approach to Intel.

Intel shares surged 16% Tuesday.

Constellation Brands

The Oracle of Omaha is betting on Modelo.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it had established a new position in Constellation Brands, the U.S. seller of Modelo and Corona beer, worth $1.2 billion at the end of December.

In a regulatory filing made public after the market closed Feb. 14, the conglomerate also disclosed that it held its Apple shares in the fourth quarter and reduced its positions in several financial stocks.

Berkshire's Constellation stake may have had a rough start. The company in January missed earnings expectations and cut its outlook for the year.

Constellation shares gained 4% Tuesday.

Bumble

Bumble lost its buzz for investors on Wednesday.

The online-dating company late Tuesday forecasted lower-than-expected earnings in the first quarter.

The company said it has a plan to attract more users and improve its monetization strategy as part of its turnaround efforts. Bumble said it will wind down two of its dating apps, Fruitz and Official, and focus on its core businesses with its Bumble and Badoo apps.

Earlier this month, rival Match Group -- which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid -- replaced its top executive, posted a drop in fourth-quarter earnings and forecast sales below expectations.

Bumble shares tumbled 30% Wednesday.

Walmart

Deal-seeking shoppers boosted Walmart's sales last year. This year might be a different story.

The U.S. retail and grocery giant on Thursday posted strong profit and revenue for the holiday quarter, including a 20% jump in its e-commerce business.

But investors were unsettled by its weaker-than-expected guidance for the year ahead, casting some doubt on the strength of the U.S. consumer amid high inflation and the Trump administration's tariff increases.

Walmart has enjoyed a postpandemic streak that has pushed its stock price near all-time highs, using its negotiating power with suppliers to offer lower prices than smaller competitors. Investments in store pickup and grocery delivery helped the company take market share from big-box rival Target and dollar-store chains.

Walmart shares declined 6.5% Thursday.

Hasbro

Investors celebrated Hasbro's plans to spark sales and tackle tariffs.

The toymaker on Thursday guided for revenue to tick higher in 2025 despite a looming trade war and released a new strategic plan, aiming for its sales to rise in the mid-single-digit percentage range on average each year through 2027.

Through 2027, Hasbro aims to expand its reach by 50% to more than 750 million customers, leaning into well-known brands including Monopoly and Dungeons & Dragons and profit drivers such as digital games and licensing.

The company also plans to reduce its reliance on China, as it doesn't import from Canada and has minimal sourcing from Mexico.

Hasbro shares soared 13% Thursday, making the stock the biggest gainer in the S&P 500.

UnitedHealth Group

The Department of Justice is investigating UnitedHealth Group's Medicare billing practices.

The Justice Department launched a new civil fraud investigation in recent months, the Journal reported Friday, examining the healthcare giant's practices for recording diagnoses that trigger extra payments to its Medicare Advantage plans.

Last year, a series of articles in the Journal showed that Medicare paid UnitedHealth billions of dollars for such questionable diagnoses. The Journal's investigation was under way before the December killing of a UnitedHealth executive that sparked an outpouring of public rage against the industry.

The probe adds to the scrutiny on UnitedHealth, the $400 billion company that owns the largest U.S. health insurer and a sprawling health network.

UnitedHealth shares dropped 7.2% Friday.

Our weekly markets news roundup is now part of the WSJ's What's News podcast. Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Check out What's News in Markets at wsj.com/podcasts or wherever you listen.

Write to Francesca Fontana at francesca.fontana@wsj.com.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 21, 2025 17:31 ET (22:31 GMT)

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