Apple upgraded, JD.com vs. Alibaba, robotic surgery device gets FDA approval

Here’s a look at some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you today.

Apple (AAPL) is higher in early trading. The Dow stock was upgraded by KeyBranc to sector weight from overweight. The firm believes that the company’s more expensive iPhone models, such as the iPhone X, will help lift Apple’s profits more than it expected.

Aramark (ARMK) was busy over the weekend. The food services company made two acquisitions. The company plans to buy food and supplies company Avendra and uniform maker AmeriPride in separate deals. The two deals together total nearly $2.5 billion. Aramark’s CEO says the buys will allow it to scale food at a lower cost and give it more of a competitive edge in other countries.

T-Mobile (TMUS) and Sprint (S) shares are back in the spotlight. The wireless companies are planning to announce a merger agreement without any immediate asset sales. That’s according to Reuters. Antitrust regulators are already critical of the deal. It would combine the third and fourth largest U.S. carriers. Negotiations without prior concessions often don’t get approved, but sources say T-Mobile and Sprint plan to focus on making 5G cheaper for consumers.

Viacom (VIAB) was slightly higher in early trading on news that it is in talks with Charter Communications (CHTR) to prevent an immediate blackout. The two companies have agreed on a short-term extension of their renewal deadline. If they two can’t come to a deal, over 16 million of Charter’s Spectrum subscribers will lose Viacom’s networks, which include Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. On the other hand, Viacom stands to lose 16% of its annual affiliate revenue. Charter is up slightly on the news.

Investors are also keeping a close eye on China’s number two online retailer, JD.com (JD). The stock rose after a Barron’s note said JD is a better deal than Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA). Barron’s expects JD’s stock to rally 30% or more over the next year and believes JD will be one of the biggest winners on China’s November 11th shopping holiday. Alibaba shares have doubled so far this year.

TransEntrix (TRXC) surged on Monday morning after the FDA announced market clearance for its new robotic surgery device. The tool gives surgeons a 3-D high-definition view of the surgical field and remote control of three robotic arms to perform procedures.