Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Salesforce – The stock rose 4% after a Bank of America double upgrade to buy from underperform. The bank argued that artificial intelligence should not disrupt, rather “deepen dependence” on the software name. First Solar – Shares gained 2.4% after Truist upgraded the solar name to buy from hold. The bank is confident in the growth and strong demand in the solar market over the coming years, as well as First Solar’s pricing power in the industry. Biogen – Shares of Biogen rose 2% after analysts at JPMorgan upgraded the biotech name to overweight from neutral . The firm cited several clinical readouts in 2027 as catalysts for Biogen. Iren — Australia-based Iren popped 5.3% Monday after The Information reported Sunday that the company, which owns and operates with 100% renewable energy, has quietly signed a multiyear cloud computing deal with Anthropic. SLM – Shares advanced 2% after the company, which deals with the administration of education loans, was upgraded Morgan Stanley to overweight from equal weight. The stock down 15% year to date is a buying opportunity, Morgan Stanley said, given its favorable valuation. Mattel — The toymaker rose more than 1% after analysts at Seaport upgraded the stock to buy from neutral. With speculation of a potential takeover swirling, “we think investors are taking a closer look at toy stocks and realizing that there’s underappreciated value,” the research firm wrote. IonQ — Shares fell more than 2% after The Wall Street Journal reported the company had bought cybersecurity firm Elisity for up to $1.3 billion. Micron — The chipmaker fell 2% after China’s CXMT said it will begin producing next-generation memory chips that will compete for market share with U.S. and Korean companies.
