The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

1205 ET - Mattr is benefiting from the surge in demand for data centers and utilities, which drove backlogs to near-record highs. According to RBC's Sabahat Khan, the company is "well positioned for H2" as data center sales expand into a "growing contributor," expected to more than double in 2026 to about 5% of consolidated revenue. The momentum drove 2Q revenue up 23.4% year-over-year to meet preliminary guidance, alongside a 260 basis-point expansion in adjusted Ebitda margin to 15.8%. Growth was anchored by record output levels at Xerxes, where customer planning horizons now extend to "firm orders for delivery throughout 2027," as well as a 29.1% revenue jump in Connection Technologies. RBC raised its target price by C$9 to C$22. Shares are down 2.5% to C$18.98. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1141 ET - Canadian homebuilding activity plummeted in July to the lowest number of starts in over a year, yet homebuying activity in the country appears to be recovery from the weak start to 2026, says Desjardins' Kari Norman. The economist notes the drop in starts was entirely within the ever-volatile multi-unit segment, while single-family construction was about the same as a month earlier. The six-month trend for starts was essentially flat but still the lowest in 15 months and about half the roughly 500,000 housing starts needed annually to restore prepandemic levels of affordability, Norman says. Still, existing home sales in July rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5% on-month and the average national sale price and benchmark price were little changed. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)

1134 ET - AutoCanada delivered better-than-expected topline and earnings results in 2Q, driven by higher vehicle sales and market share gains in June. Still, overall profitability remains squeezed by vehicle margin pressures and sell-off of older used car inventory, Khan says. RBC analyst Sabahat Khan notes that gross profit per unit will stay under pressure through 3Q, with normalized trends expected in 4Q and into 2027 once inventory is right-sized. Meanwhile, AutoCanada is strengthening its balance sheet by selling its U.S. dealership portfolio and raising over C$106 million so far to pay down debt-and expanding its higher-margin Canadian collision repair footprint. RBC raised its price target to C$24, maintaining an sector perform rating. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1123 ET - Visits to T.J. Maxx and Marshalls during the recent quarter were generally in-line with last year's levels and comfortably outperformed traditional apparel's 3.5% year-over-year decline, according to a recent Placer.ai report. "Still, their softer momentum relative to Ross may point to some pullback in the more discretionary, treasure-hunt side of the off-price experience," the report says. The location-analytics firm notes that both T.J. Maxx and Marshalls skew toward higher-income shoppers and have somewhat higher price points, potentially leaving them more exposed when consumers rein in discretionary spending. Higher gas prices may have also weighed on store visits, Pacer.ai says, prompting more consumers to skip the drive and shop online. TJX is scheduled to report earnings ahead of Wednesday's opening bell. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1117 ET - Amer Sports received a nice tailwind to profit thanks to a one-time net tariff refund. The quarter's gross margin increased 710 basis points to 65.8%, "primarily driven by a one time net tariff refund benefit of $64.3 million or 390 basis points," CFO Andrew Page says in an earnings call. This gave EPS an 8 cent boost. Excluding the tariff windfall, underlying gross margin still expanded by over 300 basis points, "driven by favorable pricing product channel and region mix." The refund, from Section 301 submissions, directly enabled management to raise full-year gross margin guidance to 60.5%-61%. For the remainder of 2026, Amer Sports assumes existing Section 301 tariff rates will stay in place, with further refund impacts expected to be negligible. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1102 ET - Saudi banks delivered higher second-quarter earnings despite slower credit growth, as better pricing supported income, Al Rajhi Capital says. Aggregate net profit rose 8% on year and came in 4% above consensus, while net funded income increased 9%, helped by improved margins and liquidity conditions. Loan growth was a more modest 7%, and the three largest banks lowered their 2026 loan-growth guidance as they shift their focus toward value over volume, the brokerage says. A 38% increase in provisions limited the benefit to earnings, leaving the sector with a mixed set of results. (farhan.rafid@wsj.com)

1059 ET - The recovery in tourism to the Gulf from outside the region remains slow and could stay weak for some time, Capital Economics says. Concerns about renewed conflict and flight cancellations risk continuing to weigh on travel by non-GCC visitors, says William Jackson, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics. Spending in Bahrain on cards issued outside the Gulf is down around 40% from a year ago, while spending on GCC-issued cards has largely recovered, he says. If the weakness persists, tourists could increasingly shift to destinations including the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, with Morocco and Thailand also potential beneficiaries, Jackson says. (farhan.rafid@wsj.com)

1057 ET - Stocks in Abu Dhabi extend gains from the previous session, while Qatar stocks continue to fall, with their benchmark indices rising 0.2% and falling 0.5%, respectively. Abu Dhabi's relative strength looks constructive, supported by resilient earnings and its banking and telecom sectors, says Mazen Abou Ismail, head of trading desk at FFA Private Bank Dubai. Qatar remains more vulnerable given its exposure to regional energy and LNG-related risks, helping explain the continued weakness, he says. Geopolitics remains the main driver of GCC sentiment, but differences in fundamentals, valuations and liquidity are increasingly driving relative performance across markets, Abou Ismail says. (farhan.rafid@wsj.com)

0953 ET - Home Depot is continuing to invest in its stores. That means ensuring on-shelf availability remains at record levels, launching new and innovative products, and deploying technology that enhances the customer experience, Ann-Marie Campbell, the company's senior executive vice president of U.S. stores and operations, says on a call with analysts. "This, coupled with all of our investments in our associate experience through technology-enabled tools, makes it easier than ever for associates to serve customers," Campbell says. The efforts are paying off, she adds, noting greater associate engagement and better customer satisfaction scores. Home Depot ticks up 0.3% after the company posts higher 2Q sales. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0950 ET - Scor should trade at a discount to reinsurance peers, with two potential negative events coming soon, UBS analysts say. The French insurer has materially re-rated year to date, UBS says as it cuts its rating on the stock to sell from neutral. It also lowers the price target to 32.50 euros from 34.50 euros. UBS says the Monte Carlo industry conference in September is likely to pressure consensus forecasts, with higher risk-adjusted price declines than expected. Scor's December capital markets day could see excess distributions delayed due to a shift in the solvency target, the analysts add. The stock is down 2.4% at 33.86 euros. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0918 ET - Aviva is inexpensive compared with U.K. life insurance peers due to its strong earnings-per-share growth outlook, J.P. Morgan analysts say. The U.S. bank raises its operating EPS estimate 1%-2% through 2028 after the insurer's first-half results. JPM's estimates are around 2% to 3% ahead of consensus, it says. "The key investor debates remain the execution of the Direct Line acquisition, the quality of general insurance earnings, the sustainability of reserve releases, and whether wealth can become a larger, capital-light growth engine for Aviva," the analysts write. JPM raises its price target to 815 pence from 800 pence, reiterates its overweight rating for the stock and says it continues to see positive risk-reward in the shares. Shares are up 0.8% at 736 pence and have risen 7.7% year to date. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0836 ET - Home Depot's 2Q comparable sales climbed 1.7% in total and 1.3% in the U.S., both better than last quarter and the best comps in several years, according to D.A. Davidson in a note. "That does not mean that we are out of the woods yet with respect to home-related spending, particularly as rates continue to move back up," analysts Michael Baker and Keegan Cox warn. "But it does show that the worst of the cycle downtrend is likely behind us," they add. Home Depot is benefiting from tariff refunds, which likely contributed to an EPS beat, and presumably gave the company confidence to reaffirm its outlook for the year despite unplanned higher input costs, the analysts say. Home Depot is up 2% premarket.