U.S. shares were little changed as investors eyed lower bond yields and the dollar, amid data releases. The S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) skidded 0.1 percent to 2,118 at 11:35 a.m. in New York. The 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) slipped 0.1 percent to 18,232, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) was down 0.2 percent to 5,042. Most followed shares included El Pollo Loco, Keurig Green, Avon, King Digital, Netflix, Applied Materials, eBay, UPS, and Deere & Co.
In consumer shares, El Pollo Loco Holdings (NASDAQ:LOCO) tanked 13.7 percent to $25.06 after the restaurant chain operator projected a full-year profit largely below estimates.
Keurig Green Mountain (NASDAQ:GMCR) fell 8.2 percent to $94.76 after Bloomberg reported that the K-cup coffee pod maker would not make available its new cold brewing system in all it is retail outlets until next year. Furthermore, CLSA reduced its fiscal year 2016 estimates and price target to $103 from $108 after the coffee-machine maker's Kold system demonstration gave higher-than-anticipated suggested pricing. CLSA maintains an "underperform" rating on the stock and projects lower household penetration.
Avon Products (NYSE:AVP), the world's largest door-to-door seller of cosmetics, dropped 0.6 percent to $7.03, a day after soaring as much as 20 percent on an apparently bogus takeover offer. Avon said it had received no such offer.
ADRs of Honda (NYSE:HMC), a Japanese automaker, inched down 0.2 percent to $35.03. The company is recalling nearly 5 million vehicles with potentially faulty Takata airbags, Reuters said. The number of inflator recalls worldwide since 2008 is now about 36 million.
Hhgregg (NYSE:HGG) sank 9.7 percent to $4.76 after the home appliances retailer reported a much wider-than-expected loss in its latest quarter, as the company continues to struggle with its brand transformation.
In technology stocks, King Digital Entertainment (NYSE:KING) fell 2.9 percent to $14.55 as the "Candy Crush Saga" creator said it anticipates forex rates and a lack of new releases to hurt bookings.
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) rose 4.8 percent to $614.65 after Bloomberg reported that it was in talks with a company backed by Alibaba's (NYSE:BABA) Jack Ma to enter China.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) advanced 3 percent to $20.47 after the provider of manufacturing equipment said its profit rose 39 percent as revenue increased 4 percent in the April quarter.
eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) fell 0.4 percent to $59.85, reversing an earlier rally, after saying all 15 board members will remain or join PayPal’s board when it spins off from eBay in the third quarter.
In industrials, United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) climbed 1.5 percent to $102.22 after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded its share recommendation to “buy” from “hold”, citing a positive skew in the risk/reward proposition and stronger-than-expected pricing in ground delivery services. Goldman also raised its view on logistics firms to "attractive" from "neutral."
Deere & Co. (NYSE:DE) declined 4.2 percent to $88.34 after JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut the stock to “underweight”, the equivalent of a “sell” rating, from “neutral”, citing high levels of used inventory and possible pressure on liquidity for farmers in 2016. The target price was cut to $84 from $90. Shares fell 1.8 percent in pre-market trade.