Several stocks were piquing investor interest in Wednesday's pre-market trade, including retail giant Target Corp (NYSE:TGT).
Its shares added 6.4% to US$88.62 as it posted second quarter numbers, which beat estimates.
For a start, there was a 6.5% increase in same store sales in the latest quarter, while online sales also increased 41%, reportedly, aided by the firm cutting some next-day delivery fees and promotions surrounding Amazon’s 'Prime Day' last month.
Earnings for the three months were US$799mln, or US$1.49 per share, versus US$671mln, or US$1.21 per share, in last year's second quarter. Analysts had expected earnings of US$1.40 per share.
Elsewhere in pre-market, and also in retail, chain Lowe's Companies Inc (NYSE:LOW) shares dropped 1% to US$100.62.
It came as the group named David M. Denton as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer.
He currently is executive vice president and CFO of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) and takes over Marshall A. Croom, whose retirement was previously announced.
Meanwhile, the group also reported second-quarter earnings, which beat analysts' expectations, and said it would close its Orchard Supply Hardware business.
On an adjusted basis, the group reported earnings of US$2.07 a share, up 31.8% from the same time a year ago.
Also on Wednesday, Urban Outfitters Inc (NASDAQ:URBN) share added 5.2% to US$50.23 after the fashion retailer posted adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of US$0.84 compared to Wall Street expectations of US$0.77.
Revenues for the second quarter came in at US$992mln versus US$980mln, which was expected.
Shares in the video game maker Zynga Inc (NASDAQ: ZNG) were still climbing as well and rose by 9.6% to US$3.74 after reaching a deal with Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) to seize the rights to develop a new "Star Wars" mobile game via its NaturalMotion studio.
Also, midweek, food stuffs giant Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) was in focus as its Nabisco snacks business has removed the caged-animal imagery for its Barnum's Animals-branded crackers.
Mondelez is based in Illinois, which as of the beginning of this year, banned circus elephants, while the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus for which the animal-crackers brand is named shut down in 2017.
The P.T. Barnum story has been refreshed recently in the hit musical film starring Hugh Jackman entitled "The Greatest Showman".
Nabisco yields to PETA’s request, takes animals out of their cages — ON BOXES OF ANIMAL CRACKERS. pic.twitter.com/gBXpBG3eeC
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) 21 August 2018
-- updated with share price movement --