11:59 AM EST, 02/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Major US stock indexes were mixed around midday trading after President Donald Trump on Tuesday floated the idea of broadening tariffs on imports to include automobiles, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

In company news, a federal judge in Missouri on Tuesday declined to accept the request of pharmacy benefit managers to enjoin the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case alleging they systematically preferred high-list-price insulin products in violation of the FTC Act. The complaint, originally filed last November by CVS Health's ( CVS ) CVS Caremark, UnitedHealth Group's ( UNH ) Optum Rx and Cigna Group's ( CI ) Express Scripts, called the FTC's administrative proceeding unconstitutional and sought an injunction to stop it. Shares of CVS, UnitedHealth ( UNH ) and Cigna ( CI ) were up 1%, 0.6% and 1.4%, respectively, around noon.

Nikola ( NKLA ) said Wednesday it and certain subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The electric vehicle maker said it also requested approval to pursue an auction and sale process under Section 363 of the US bankruptcy code. Nikola ( NKLA ) said it intends to continue limited operations during the sale process, including supporting trucks in the field and HYLA fueling operations until March. Nikola ( NKLA ) shares were down nearly 39%.

Herc Holdings ( HRI ) said Wednesday it has signed an agreement to acquire H&E Equipment Services ( HEES ) following the termination of H&E's prior merger agreement with United Rentals ( URI ) . H&E shareholders will receive $78.75 in cash and 0.1287 Herc ( HRI ) common shares for every share they own, Herc ( HRI ) said. Shares of Herc ( HRI ), H&E and United Rentals ( URI ) were down 3%, 0.5% and 2.6%, respectively.

Hims & Hers Health ( HIMS ) said Wednesday it has acquired at-home lab testing provider Sigmund, or Trybe Labs, to allow the company to offer at-home blood testing. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Hims shares were up 23%.

KKR (KKR) has offered to invest roughly 4 billion British pounds ($5.04 billion) in Thames Water in exchange for a majority stake in the utility, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. KKR shares were down 0.9%.

General Motors ( GM ) Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said Wednesday at a conference that the company would need to consider moving plants if US tariffs become permanent, Reuters reported. General Motors ( GM ) shares were down 1.6%.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) on Wednesday introduced the Majorana 1 quantum chip that it said will help make "quantum computers capable of solving meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades." Microsoft ( MSFT ) shares were up 0.3%.

Apple ( AAPL ) on Wednesday debuted iPhone 16e, which features an A18 chip, Apple Intelligence, long battery life and a 48MP 2-in-1 camera system at "a more affordable price." The iPhone 16e will be available in 128GB and 512 GB storage capacities starting at $599, the company said. Apple ( AAPL ) shares were up 0.1%.

Alphabet's (GOOG) Google ( GOOG ) on Wednesday introduced "AI co-scientist," a multi-agent AI system built with Gemini 2.0 to help researchers speed up scientific and biomedical discoveries. Alphabet shares were up 0.5%.

Price: 179.94, Change: -5.43, Percent Change: -2.93