markets

J. Edward Moreno

2/13/25

Hims & Hers jumps after RFK Jr. confirmation

Hims & Hers rose more than 27% on Thursday after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic hostile to Big Pharma, was one of the more controversial picks for President Trump’s cabinet. Compound pharmacies like Hims & Hers sell generic versions of certain medications online and have recently made a killing selling knockoff versions of the bestselling weight-loss meds made by Novo Nordisk.

Hims & Hers is able to do that because semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is considered to be in a shortage. But its messaging, including its recent Super Bowl ad, frames it as a war against Big Pharma. If that’s its enemy, it will likely find an ally in Kennedy.

Kennedy has said mixed things about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, long emphasizing lifestyle changes but calling them “miracle drugs” during his confirmation hearing. Trump also nominated Marty Makary, who is currently the chief medical officer of compounding pharmacy Sesame, to lead the FDA, a subagency of HHS.

“Our sense (reading in-between the lines), is that the RFK-led HHS will take a fairly lenient stance with respect to the GLP compounders provided the drugs are seen as safe,” Mizuho strategist Jared Holz wrote, per Bloomberg.

The investor interest might also be due to residual excitement from the Super Bowl. Hims & Hers told Fierce Healthcare that traffic to its site spiked 650% in the hours after the ad. (The ad sparked pushback from Novo Nordisk and lawmakers, who said it made false or misleading statements about the safety and efficacy of compounded drugs. FWIW: Kennedy has also said he’d like to ban ads for drugs.)

Hims & Hers is able to do that because semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is considered to be in a shortage. But its messaging, including its recent Super Bowl ad, frames it as a war against Big Pharma. If that’s its enemy, it will likely find an ally in Kennedy.

Kennedy has said mixed things about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, long emphasizing lifestyle changes but calling them “miracle drugs” during his confirmation hearing. Trump also nominated Marty Makary, who is currently the chief medical officer of compounding pharmacy Sesame, to lead the FDA, a subagency of HHS.

“Our sense (reading in-between the lines), is that the RFK-led HHS will take a fairly lenient stance with respect to the GLP compounders provided the drugs are seen as safe,” Mizuho strategist Jared Holz wrote, per Bloomberg.

The investor interest might also be due to residual excitement from the Super Bowl. Hims & Hers told Fierce Healthcare that traffic to its site spiked 650% in the hours after the ad. (The ad sparked pushback from Novo Nordisk and lawmakers, who said it made false or misleading statements about the safety and efficacy of compounded drugs. FWIW: Kennedy has also said he’d like to ban ads for drugs.)

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Six Flags pops after reiterating its guidance as theme park attendance rebounds

Six Flags shares rose more than 7% today after the company reported a rebound in attendance and early season-pass sales heading into the fall. The nine-week period ending August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch in 2024, with stronger momentum in the final four weeks.

More importantly, Six Flags reaffirmed its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $860 million to $910 million, showing confidence that its cost and operations strategy can stay strong for the duration of the year. Riding that wave, Six Flags also said early 2026 season pass unit sales are pacing ahead of last year, and average season pass prices are up around 3%.

The good vibes come despite a drop in in-park per capita spending, especially from admissions, where promotions and changes to attendance mix (which parks or days guests visit) have weighed. Earlier this week, the amusement giant extended a new agreement that extended its position as the exclusive amusement park partner for Peanuts™ in North America through 2030.

Despite the rally, Six Flags shares are down around 52% year-to-date.

markets

3h

Rivian turns red on the year, squeezed by a recall and the looming end of the EV tax credit

Shares of EV maker Rivian are down more than 5% on Friday following the company’s recall of 24,214 vehicles due to a software issue. The stock move erases Rivian’s year-to-date gain and turns the company negative on the year.

Rivian’s 2025 model year R1S and R1T are affected by the defect, which was identified after a vehicle’s hands-free highway assist software failed to identify another vehicle on the road, causing a low-speed collision. Rivian said it’s released an over-the-air update to fix the issue.

The recall marks Rivian’s fifth this year, affecting nearly 70,000 of its vehicles.

Rivian’s shares are down more than 20% from their 2025 high, which came prior to the passage of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Through the legislation, the $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire at the end of the month.

markets

J. Edward Moreno

3h

Moderna, Pfizer dip after WaPo reports Trump officials’ plan to link Covid vaccines to child deaths

Vaccine makers are falling after The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration plans to link the coronavirus vaccine to 25 child deaths.

Moderna and Pfizer, the two companies who sell the vaccine in the US, fell by more than 5% and 2%, respectively. The coronavirus vaccine is virtually the only revenue driver for Moderna, while Pfizer has a larger and more diverse portfolio.

Trump officials to link child deaths to covid shots, alarming career scientists

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