The latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

0832 ET - A holding company of Dye & Durham's former CEO is trying to capitalize on investor frustration and a shaky Canadian real estate climate to scoop up the company. Plantro, holding company of Matt Proud, attempted a take-private bid for the entire company, Raymond James' Stephen Boland notes. "We suspect Plantro is looking to capitalize on any further shareholder frustration... perhaps hoping to pressure the existing board into accepting a revised bid at what appears to be an increasingly attractive premium," Boland says. Shares are down 49% year-to-date, and Plantro offered a potential takeout at over double current level. The current environment may test the loyalty of long-time investors, Boland says, with the offer which could be "simply too attractive a proposition to turn down." (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

0759 ET - Orange is still facing pricing tensions in France, HSBC analysts Nicolas Cote-Colisson and Luigi Minerva write in a note. "First quarter results confirmed that price pressure is mostly in the lower end of the market where Orange is less present," they say. However, the French telecommunication company's defensive business model is seen as positive given the current market environment, they add. The company's geographic diversification and the possibility for consolidation in the medium term in France reflect a viable strategy, they say. Additionally, the strong demand for connectivity in Africa and Middle East will likely continue and this could generate stronger cash flows in the longer term, they add. Shares are down 1.7% at 12.49 euro. (najat.kantouar@wsj.com) Corrections & Amplifications

This article was corrected at 08:43 a.m. ET to clarify that Orange shares are down 1.7% at 12.49 euros. An earlier article misstated the currency of the shares.

0519 ET - The cost of insuring euro-denominated credit against default using credit default swaps declines as market sentiment improves following Thursday's stronger-than-expected results by U.S. tech giant Alphabet. "Alphabet's results helped maintain the positive tone in markets," IG's Chris Beauchamp says in a note. The iTraxx Europe Crossover index which tracks euro junk bond credit default swaps falls 4 basis points to 341bps, S&P Global Market Intelligence data show. The iTraxx Europe Main index which tracks euro investment grade CDS declines 1bp to 66bps. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

0346 ET - U.S. tech giant Alphabet's better-than-expected results released on Thursday helped boost investor sentiment, but the report failed to detail the potential impact of U.S. trade tariffs, Hargreaves Lansdown's Matt Britzman says in a note. "Investors hoping for clarity around trade tensions and tariffs were left wanting," he says. "There was a distinct lack of insight into how [tariffs] might weigh on ad demand in 2025." (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)

0302 ET - Autohome's near-term business outlook appears challenging, Daiwa Capital Markets analysts say in a research report. The brokerage expects the Chinese online automobile sales and information service platform's media services revenue to soften in 1Q 2025 and in 2025, owing to original equipment manufacturers' lower-than-anticipated advertising budgets. Autohome's sales-lead generation also probably declined in 1Q as sales-lead demand for second-hand cars and advertising demand from dealerships dropped. Daiwa cuts its 2025-2027 earnings estimates for Autohome by 11%-14%. It lowers the American depositary receipt's target price to US$30.00 from US$35.00 and the Hong Kong-listed stock's target price to HK$58.00 from HK$70.00, both with unchanged outperform ratings. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0300 ET - SK Hynix's 2Q earnings are set to improve on a fast rebound in memory-chip prices, HSBC analysts Ricky Seo and Hankil Chang write in a note. The South Korean memory-chip maker is likely to benefit from strong capex growth at Chinese cloud-computing service providers and inventory-restocking demand for smartphone and personal-computer memory products, the analysts say. Artificial-intelligence-enhanced devices using more memory products and a cut in NAND chip production also support the earnings improvement, they add. HSBC raises its target price for the stock by 6.3% to KRW340,000 and keeps a buy rating. Shares end 3.4% higher at KRW184,400. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

2124 ET - Unisem (M)'s 2025 earnings outlook remains clouded, CIMB Securities analyst Mohd Shanaz Noor Azam says in a note. While 2Q revenue is expected to grow 5%-10% on quarter, supported by strong demand from China, likely better performance amid new program ramp-ups at its plant in 2H, the analyst warns that 1H weakness will likely weigh on full-year results. Further downside risks include potential delays in program launches and a longer-than-expected gestation period at its new plant in Perak state, he adds. Given disappointing 1Q earnings, Shanaz cuts 2025-2027 EPS forecasts on the company by 19%-37% to reflect prolonged underperformance at its plants and rising labor costs. CIMB downgrades Unisem to reduce from hold, and cuts its target price to MYR1.60 from MYR2.10. Shares are 0.5% higher at MYR1.92. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

1847 ET - Intel's 2Q outlook is disappointing, CFRA Research analyst Angelo Zino says in a note. But the chip maker's aggressive cost-cutting measures--which include limiting capital expenditures and operational expenses such as marketing and R&D--stole the show during its recent earnings report. "While we applaud the enhanced cost-cutting efforts, share loss is an issue while the planned second-half ramp of Intel 18A will be crucial," he writes. "We think Intel remains in a tough position, as competitive pressures across the PC and server markets only intensify, with the company lacking the proper offerings to successfully compete, in our view." Shares fall 4.7%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1834 ET [Dow Jones]--Intel CFO David Zinsner says on a call with analysts that the company's 1Q revenue benefited from consumers rushing to purchase goods before tariffs send prices higher. "We will certainly see costs increase and we feel it prudent to anticipate" a contraction, he says. "The biggest risk we see is the impact of a potential pullback in investment and spending as business and consumers react to higher costs in the uncertain economic backdrop." As a result of uncertainty stemming from tariffs, Intel issues a wider-than-typical 2Q outlook, which missed Wall Street's expectations. Shares fall 4.9%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1824 ET - Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is detailing aspects of his plan to return the company to chip-making leadership, after it fell behind in the global competition in recent years. While simplifying the company's management structure, Tan says on a call with analysts that he wants to revitalize Intel's engineering core and rebuild its engineering talent pool by promoting internal leaders, bringing back lost talent and recruiting new workers. The company will also implement a return to office policy in 3Q requiring in-person work at least four days a week. "I know firsthand the power of teamwork, and this action is necessary to re-instill a more collaborative working environment," Tan says. Shares fall 4.8% after hours. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1810 ET - Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan says he is taking swift actions to simplify the beleaguered chip maker. As a first step, Tan says on a call with analysts that he will flatten the structure of the company's leadership team so that certain functions previously spread over two or three layers now report directly to him. The company didn't detail how many management positions it will cut, or the charges it expects to incur as a result. Intel will additionally save by reducing planned operational and capital expenditures this year, Tan says. "I will continue to make the needed investment to reignite innovation, even as we reduce our overall expenses by minimizing projects and programs that had been taking attention away from our core client and server business," he says. Shares fall 5.1% after hours. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1800 ET - T-Mobile continued to add subscribers for its lucrative postpaid phone plans at a faster pace than rivals AT&T and Verizon last quarter, but with its additional 495,000 subscribers coming in below analyst expectations, the results weren't enough to impress investors. The stock slipped 5.4% in after-hours trading despite beating Wall Street expectations on both earnings and revenue. The company said average monthly revenue per customer for its postpaid phone plan totaled $49.38 in the quarter, up from $48.79 in the same period a year ago. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 25, 2025 12:20 ET (16:20 GMT)

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