The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in midday trading to 2,367.26.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3% to 20,717.59.
The NASDAQ was up 0.2% to 5,909.66.
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond was up 1.1% to 2.41%.
The price of gold fell 0.7% to $1,248.
FINANCE
Pacific Premier Bancorp Inc. was up 4.5% to $38.65 and a $1.1 billion market cap. Shares in the bank holding company are up 7% in the last two days after shareholders approved its $406 million purchase of Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, which is expected to close Saturday.
Consumer Portfolio Services Inc. in Irvine was up 6.5% to $4.78 a $113 million market cap on above average volume. The company services car loans.
HEALTHCARE
CareTrust REIT Inc. was up 2.1% to $16.67 and a $1.1 billion market cap. Canaccord Genuity reiterated a “buy” rating with a $19 price target.
SERVICES
Willdan Group Inc. in Anaheim was up 4.5% to $31.59 and a $266 million market cap. Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on the engineering consultant’s shares with a “buy” rating and a price target of $36.
MANUFACTURING
Kush Bottles Inc. in Santa Ana was up 8.3% to $2.86 and a $142 million market cap. Shares in the maker of packaging products for the cannabis industry had traded at twice its average volume and are up 40% this week.
