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Ari Emanuel breaks down new merger between WWE and UFC, named TKO

Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment executives decided to name their new publicly traded company TKO to honor the companies’ expertise in fighting, but they have broader aspirations than just owning combat sports.

TKO began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, culminating a merger of two live-entertainment juggernauts that was announced in April. The combined company is 51% owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, which owns assets including UFC and Hollywood talent agency WME, and 49% owned by WWE shareholders.

Shares rose 2.4% on Tuesday.

The first 18 months of the company’s existence will revolve around integrating UFC and WWE, Mark Shapiro, TKO’s president and chief operating officer, said in an interview with CNBC. That includes eventually going to market together for international media rights and bringing together the company’s production efforts and back offices, Shapiro said.

After that, TKO plans to swing into acquisition mode to grow the company, he said.

“We will ultimately be in the marketplace looking for other sports properties that we can bolt onto the flywheel enhanced by Endeavor,” Shapiro said, adding the company has a strong desire to expand internationally.

Endeavor also owns Professional Bull Riders and two tennis tournaments — the Mutua Madrid Open and the Miami Open. The “flywheel” includes Endeavor’s representation of professional athletes through WME, its expertise in negotiating media rights, product licensing and enhancing live events to boost venue fees. Shapiro also envisions direct-to-consumer options with TKO that don’t exist yet.

WWE currently streams on NBCUniversal’s Peacock in a deal that concludes in 2026. Shapiro said other streaming entities have already expressed interest in bidding on the rights when that deal expires.

In the coming months, TKO executives will also negotiate new media deals for WWE “Raw” and “SmackDown” on traditional pay TV. NBCUniversal and Fox currently own those rights.

Who runs TKO?

Vince McMahon, 78, is the executive chairman of TKO and Ari Emanuel is the CEO. Shapiro made it clear who will be the company’s leader.

“Ari Emanuel is running the company,” Shapiro said. “Vince will play a role. He’s got experience and influence. But he understands the role of CEO is Ari’s. This is not a shared position.”

McMahon has earned a reputation as a force of personality, both as a WWE character and behind the scenes, in his more than 40 years running WWE. He’s also had some recent legal issues. On July 17, according to a recent filing, federal law enforcement agents served a federal grand jury subpoena on McMahon stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct. No charges have been brought in the investigation.

Shapiro noted Emanuel has already proven he can run a company along side a sports league co-founder with a big personality and checkered past. Dana White, UFC’s president, has dealt with a number of controversies in his personal life, including slapping his wife in a recorded video, while brashly and unapologetically staying in his job.

“Me leaving hurts the company. Hurts my employees. Hurts the fighters. Doesn’t hurt me,” said White during a media event earlier this year “Do I need to reflect? No, I don’t need to reflect. … I own this. I’m telling you that I’m wrong.”

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.

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Hims & Hers stock falls 10% on revenue miss

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Hims & Hers stock falls 10% on revenue miss

The Hers app arranged on a smartphone in New York, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. 

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Shares of Hims & Hers Health fell 9% in extended trading on Monday after the telehealth company reported second-quarter results that missed Wall Street’s expectations for revenue.

Here’s how the company did based on average analysts’ estimates compiled by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: 17 cents adjusted vs. 15 cents
  • Revenue: $544.8 million vs. $552 million

Revenue at Hims & Hers increased 73% in the second quarter from $315.6 million during the same period last year, according to a release. Hims & Hers reported a net income of $42.5 million, or 17 cents per share, compared to $13.3 million, or 6 cents per share, during the same period a year earlier.

For its third quarter, Hims & Hers said it expected to report revenue between $570 million to $590 million, while analysts were expecting $583 million. The company said its adjusted EBITDA for the quarter will be between the range of $60 million to $70 million. Analysts polled by StreetAccount were expecting $77.1 million.

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Hims & Hers has faced controversy in recent months over its continued sale of compounded GLP-1s, which are cheaper, unapproved versions of the blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs. Compounded drugs can be mass produced when brand-name treatments are in shortage, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in February that ongoing supply issues had been resolved.

Some telehealth companies, including Hims & Hers, have continued to offer the compounded medications. It’s legal for patients to access personalized doses of the knockoffs in unique cases, like if they are allergic to an ingredient in a branded product, for instance. Hims & Hers has said consumers may still be able to access personalized doses through its site if clinically applicable. 

In June, Hims & Hers shares tumbled more than 30% after a short-lived collaboration with Novo Nordisk fell apart. The drugmaker said Hims & Hers “failed to adhere to the law which prohibits mass sales of compounded drugs” under the “false guise” of personalization.

Hims & Hers reported adjusted EBITDA of $82 million for its second quarter, up from $39.3 million last year and above the $73 million expected by StreetAccount.

Hims & Hers will host its quarterly call with investors at 5 p.m. ET.

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YTD chart of Hims & Hers Health.

–CNBC’s Annika Kim Constantino contributed to this report

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Palantir tops $1 billion in revenue for the first time, boosts guidance

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Palantir tops  billion in revenue for the first time, boosts guidance

Palantir reports $1 billion in revenue for the first time

Palantir topped Wall Street’s estimates Monday, surpassing $1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time, and hiking its full-year guidance.

Shares rallied more than 5%.

Here’s how the company did versus LSEG estimates:

  • Earnings per share: 16 cents adj. vs. 14 cents expected
  • Revenue: $1.00 billion vs. $940 million expected

The artificial intelligence software provider’s revenues grew 48% during the period. Analysts hadn’t expected the $1 billion revenue benchmark from the Denver-based company until the fourth quarter of this year.

“The growth rate of our business has accelerated radically, after years of investment on our part and derision by some,” wrote CEO Alex Karp in a letter to shareholders. “The skeptics are admittedly fewer now, having been defanged and bent into a kind of submission.”

The software analytics company also boosted its full-year outlook guidance. For the full year, Palantir now expects revenues to range between $4.142 billion and $4.150 billion, up from prior guidance of $3.89 billion to $3.90 billion.

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For the third quarter, Palantir forecast revenues between $1.083 billion and $1.087 billion, beating an analyst estimate of $983 million. Palantir also lifted its operating income and full-year free cash flow guidance.

Palantir’s U.S. revenues jumped 68% from a year ago to $733 million, while U.S. commercial revenues nearly doubled from a year ago to $306 million.

The software analytics company has seen a boost from President Donald Trump‘s government efficiency campaign, which included layoffs and contract cuts. Palantir’s U.S. government revenues jumped 53% from the year-ago period to $426 million.

“It has been a steep and upward climb — an ascent that is a reflection of the remarkable confluence of the arrival of language models, the chips necessary to power them, and our software infrastructure,” Karp wrote in a letter to shareholders.

During the quarter, Palantir said it closed 66 deals of at least $5 million and 42 deals totaling at least $10 million. Total value of its contracts grew 140% from last year to $2.27 billion.

Net income rose 144% to about $326.7 million, or 13 cents a share, from about $134.1 million, or 6 cents per share a year ago.

Palantir shares have more than doubled this year as investors bet on the company’s AI tools and contract agreements with governments.

Its market value has accelerated past $379 billion and into the list of top 20 most valuable U.S companies, surpassing SalesforceIBM and Cisco to join the top 10 U.S. tech companies by market cap. Shares hit a new high Monday.

At its size, buying the stock requires investors to pay hefty multiples.

Shares currently trade 276 times forward earnings, according to FactSet. Tesla is the only other top 20 with a triple-digit ratio at 177.

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Palantir one-day stock chart.

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Firefly Aerospace lifts IPO range that would value company at more than $6 billion

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Firefly Aerospace lifts IPO range that would value company at more than  billion

Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim sits for an interview at the Firefly Aerospace mission operations center in Leander, Texas, on July 9, 2025.

Sergio Flores | Reuters

Firefly Aerospace has lifted the share price range for its upcoming initial public offering in a move that would value the space technology company at more than $6 billion.

The lunar lander and rocket maker said in a filing Monday that it expects to price shares in its upcoming IPO between $41 and $43 apiece.

Firefly’s new target range would raise nearly $697 million at the top end of the range. That’s up from the previously expected $35 to $39 price per share that Firefly announced in a filing last week, which targeted a $5.5 billion valuation.

Firefly announced plans to go public last month as interest in space technology gains steam, and billionaire-led companies such as Elon Musk‘s SpaceX rake in more funding.

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The industry has also begun testing the public markets after a long hiatus in IPO deal activity, with space tech firm Voyager debuting in June.

Firefly makes rockets, space tugs and lunar landers, and is widely known for its satellite launching rockets known as Alpha.

The company has partnered with major defense players such as Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and NASA, and received a $50 million investment from defense contractor Northrop Grumman.

Firefly’s revenues jumped from $8.3 million a year ago to $55.9 million at the end of March, the company said. Its net loss grew to $60.1 million, from $52.8 million a year ago.

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