Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (+0.52%) is in second place on Friday afternoon, up about 30 points.

Briefly, S&P 500 constituents Moderna (MRNA 25.15, +1.50, +6.34%), Fiserv (FI 166.07, +6.94, +4.36%), and Eli Lilly (LLY 757.74, +25.95, +3.55%) pepper the top of the standings. Shares of MRNA were down -43% YTD heading into today's session, investors perhaps using the stock's weakness to accumulate, while today's rebound in FI is seen as a relief rally triggered by supportive analyst commentary highlighting that Clover's slowdown is likely transitory, with LLY rising on investor rotation out of Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO 64.12, -2.03, -3.07%) after news that CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen would step down.

Meanwhile, Hershey Foods (HSY 157.41, -4.91, -3.02%) is underperforming as cocoa prices hit a 3-month high of $11,000/ton, intensifying cost pressures. Analysts at Piper Sandler warned there's no near-term relief in sight and flagged risks to 2026 EPS, citing limited pricing power and increasingly price-sensitive consumers. Piper also sees potential valuation pressure if earnings growth is squeezed from a stressed P&L, contributing to negative sentiment around the stock.