Top Midday Stories: Delta Shares Fall After Q3 EPS, Revenue Misses; Apple Reportedly Cuts iPhone 18 Pro Component Orders Due to Soft Demand

12:14 PM EDT, 10/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- All three major US stock indexes were up in late-morning trading Friday, as tech stocks took a step up. In company news, Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported Q3 adjusted earnings Friday of $1.72 per diluted share, up from $1.70 a year earlier but below the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $1.77. Total Q3 adjusted revenue was $17.59 billion, up from $15.20 billion a year ago but below the FactSet consensus of $17.65 billion. For 2026, Delta expects adjusted EPS of $5.10 to $5.60, down from its prior estimate of $6.50 to $7.50 and compared with the FactSet expectation of $5.51. For Q4, the company expects adjusted EPS of $1.15 to $1.65 and revenue growth of around 20%. Analysts expect non-GAAP EPS of $1.43 on revenue of $17.24 billion. Delta shares were down 1.9% around midday. Apple (AAPL) has asked some suppliers to cut production of components for its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, Nikkei Asia reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. October orders were down by at least 15% from initial requests amid rising memory chip costs and weaker demand, the report said. Apple shares were down 1.8%. SpaceX (SPCX) said Thursday it agreed to acquire a nationwide portfolio of licenses covering up to 14 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band to expand Starlink Mobile's coverage in the US. The move could put pressure on wireless carriers, according to media reports. SpaceX shares were up 1.6%, while shares of AT&T (T), Verizon Communications (VZ) and T-Mobile US (TMUS) were down 9.8%, 9.9% and 12.8%, respectively. Humana (HUM) said Friday that 95% of its Medicare Advantage members are enrolled in plans with ratings of at least four stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for 2027, which it called a "significant improvement." CVS Health's (CVS) Aetna said over 69% of its MA members are in 2027 plans rated four stars or higher, while Alignment Healthcare (ALHC) said six of seven eligible MA contracts earned at least four stars. Humana shares were up 13.0%, while CVS and Alignment shares were down 1.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Shares of Moderna (MRNA) and other vaccine developers were up on Friday after The New York Times reported that the National Institutes of Health is part of a public-private partnership to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines. Moderna shares were up 8.0%. Shares of Merck (MRK), Novavax (NVAX) and BioNTech (BNTX) were up 1.8%, 10.6% and 3.4%, respectively. Shares of Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Vir Biotechnology (VIR) were up 7.5% and 4.8%, respectively. Price: 80.70, Change: -1.44, Percent Change: -1.75