Today's noteworthy downgrades include: Apollo Global (APO) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill...Blackstone (BX) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill...CBOE Holdings (CBOE) downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Barclays...Carlyle Group (CG) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill...Danaher (DHR) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman...Dean Foods (DF) downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley...Foresight Energy (FELP) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citi...Franklin Resources (BEN) downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Barclays...InterContinental (IHG) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Berenberg...Keurig (GMCR) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair...LabCorp (LH) downgraded to Neutral from Conviction Buy at Goldman...Mattson (MTSN) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Craig-Hallum...Office Depot (ODP) downgraded to Sector Weight from Overweight at KeyBanc...PerkinElmer (PKI) downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman...Staples (SPLS) downgraded to Hold from Buy at BB&T...United Natural Foods (UNFI) downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Barclays...Universal Forest (UFPI) downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at DA Davidson...Vail Resorts (MTN) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at JMP Securities...Wabash (WNC) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Stifel...WebMD (WBMD) downgraded to Outperform from Top Pick at RBC Capital.

Sony Pictures (SONY) and Apollo Global (APO) have been in talks over partnering for a joint offer to buy Paramount (PARA), the New York Times' Benjamin Mullin and Lauren Hirsch report, citing two people familiar with the matter. The two companies have not submitted an official bid, as the CBS parent is still in exclusive discussions with Skydance over a potential deal, the authors say, noting the potential Skydance pact has drawn significant pushback from shareholders. Reference Link

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) launches Apple (AAPL) AirPlay in the first phase of hotel rooms, giving guests the ability to stream content privately and securely from their iPhone or iPad to the TV in their guest rooms. AirPlay is available at more than 60 hotels in North America, including properties like InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, Hotel Indigo NYC Downtown - Wall Street and Holiday Inn & Suites Ottawa Kanata. IHG is the first hospitality company to provide AirPlay functionality as part of its in-room entertainment experience.

Notable companies reporting before tomorrow's open, with earnings consensus, include Blackstone (BX), consensus 96c... Elevance Health (ELV), consensus $10.53... D.R. Horton (DHI), consensus $3.06... Genuine Parts (GPC), consensus $2.16... Snap-on (SNA), consensus $4.64... Keycorp (KEY), consensus 22c... Ally Financial (ALLY), consensus 33c... Alaska Air (ALK), consensus ($1.05).

Unusual total active option classes on open include: Steel Dynamics (STLD), Gildan Activewear (GIL), Danaher (DHR), Altimeter Growth (GRAB), Childrens Place (PLCE), ASML (ASML), US Bancorp (USB), iShares Barclays 7 to 10 Year Treasury Bond Fund (IEF), AMC Entertainment (AMC), and Abbott (ABT).

HSBC analyst Rajesh Kumar upgraded Danaher to Buy from Hold with a price target of $280, up from $250. HSBC's supply chain analysis suggests the de-stocking effects as well as order books might be on a recovery path for the life sciences tools sector, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm also believes the "geopolitical divide" of biotech funding around the U.S. Biosecure Act might result in a better pricing environment for outsourcers, potentially supporting incremental margins and multiples. It upgrades Danaher as a "quality proxy for the Biotech funding recovery."