Dow Jones Surpasses 27,000 On 3rd Straight Gain; This Medical Stock Shines After Earnings

Wall Street looked past a move by the White House to force a China consulate in Houston to get packing as blue chips paced a decent yet modest gain in stocks today.

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.6% to top the 27,000 level, the Nasdaq cut its early mild losses to close ahead 0.2%. This mild action followed a new distribution day for the Nasdaq composite on Tuesday, when it fell 0.8% after hitting a new all-time high of 10,839.

The S&P 500 virtually matched the Dow industrials' 0.6% rise. Innovator IBD 50 (FFTY) charged 1.1% higher. Volume fell on both the Nasdaq and NYSE exchanges, early data showed.

At 36.64, the growth stock-focused exchange traded fund now stands 6.4% higher for the third quarter; the 500, at 3276, has risen 5.7% over the same time frame.

Following Behind The Dow Jones, But Not Out

Within IBD Leaderboard, several top performers showed normal-looking declines in the 0.1% to 1.1% range. They include Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) and Teladoc (TDOC).

Notice on a daily chart how Vertex remains on the north side of its 50-day moving average, a bullish sign. However, the leader in cystic fibrosis treatments has made piecemeal progress since clearing a 295.65 buy point in a flat base.

IBD Live on Wednesday discussed the action in Vertex as well as emerging leaders in the construction, retail and semiconductor sectors, which have shown signs of healthy sector rotation.

Earnings Movers And New Breakouts

Iqvia (IQV) posted a fourth straight advance, rising nearly 5%. Volume raced more than 40% above its 50-day moving average.

The large cap ($31 billion market value, 191 million shares outstanding, and a float of 187 million) also propelled further past a 156.32 buy point in a large cup with handle.

The 5% buy zone goes up to 164.14.

Iqvia provides biopharmaceutical development services. The Durham, N.C., firm said Q2 earnings fell 23% to $1.18 a share but that beat views by 11%. Revenue dropped 8% to $2.52 billion. The stock's relative strength line lurched into new high ground, a good sign for the new breakout.

Railroad firms also grabbed the spotlight.

Canadian Pacific (CP) stretched as much as 3.5% higher before giving back most of that gain. Still, the large cap ($37 billion market value, 136 million shares outstanding) is holding above a 271.73 buy point in a  new base.

CSX (CSX), due to report Q2 results after the close, rose more than 1.1% in slightly above-average turnover. The stock has been building a shallow cup within a larger pattern. For now, 77.01 poses as a potential entry.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet see earnings down 41% to 64 cents a share in the quarter vs. a year ago.

After the close, the Jacksonville, Fla., firm reported a 40% drop in earnings to 65 cents a share. Revenue fell 26% to $2.26 billion. The company reduced expenses by 19%. As a result, operating income fell 37%. The operating ratio improved 590 basis points to 63.3%.

Diluted shares outstanding sank 5% to 767 million.

Software Stock Leader, Small Cap

Elsewhere, AudioCodes (AUDC) stood out among companies marking new 52-week or all-time highs.

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