The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

1320 ET - Braze reported good 2Q numbers, but the company's 3Q guidance and decelerating backlog growth disappointed, Oppenheimer analysts write in a note. "Additionally, outsized growth in services revenue in FY27, combined with fears that AI spending will crowd out 2H software spending, raise concerns on subscription growth durability," the analysts add. Still, the market's negative reaction may overlook some important results, including improving margins and measures of profitability and sales productivity. "In our view, these developments suggest Braze's growth can reaccelerate post its customer conference in F3Q, and the AI ramp is not structurally margin-dilutive," the analysts write, maintaining their outperform rating. Shares tumble 19%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1253 ET - Coca-Cola has gotten new product ideas from social media, CEO Henrique Braun says at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference. For instance, the company saw consumers sharing videos of themselves online flavoring Sprite with teabags. "It became something that I said, 'Well, that makes sense," Braun says. Coca-Cola then began testing a Sprite variation flavored with ice tea, and found that it tasted good and went over well with U.S. consumers, he continues. "Fast forward, we shifted to China, which is a key market for tea, and I reported in the second-quarter earnings as one of the highlights on innovation." (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1245 ET - The global consumer backdrop remains uneven, Coca-Cola CEO Henrique Braun says at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference. Low-income consumers, both in the U.S. and internationally, are feeling pressured. Coca-Cola has responded to that ongoing pressure by re-tooling some of its pricing and packaging architectures, ensuring it has more affordable options for stressed shoppers, Braun says. On the other side of the spectrum, though, premiumization remains a huge opportunity, he continues. "There are consumers out there that are less sensitive to pricing, and that want to continue to connect with the brands that they love," Braun says. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1229 ET - Casey's General Stores says GLP-1s aren't to blame for slower snack sales. Executives say on an F1Q earnings call that they are still seeing strong sales of their private-label branded snacks, even as overall snack demand declines. Unit sales of national-brand chips were down 8%, while Casey's-branded chips rose 16%, the executives say. They believe this is because snack companies have raised prices on snacks, pricing out many of Casey's customers. The commentary comes after the Canadian convenience-store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard said earlier this month that weight-loss drugs were partly to blame for lower chips and candy sales. Casey's General Stores slides 15%. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1228 ET - Chime Financial pursuing a bank charter was always an inevitability given its ambitions to serve as the number one U.S. provider of primary bank accounts, CEO Chris Britt tells CNBC following the company's announcement of a $590 million acquisition of Stride Bank. "It felt like the time was right, given the changes in technology, the regulatory window that's open, and most importantly, the confidence that we have in this incredible team at Stride," Britt says. The deal will reduce Chime's reliance on third parties and increase its velocity of innovation, he adds. Chime shares gain 4.9%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1203 ET - Nike has drastically increased distribution of its Jordan brand at Famous Footwear, with the off-price retailer now carrying about 63% more Jordan footwear SKUs compared to a year ago, UBS analysts say in a note. That expansion could be a problem, the analysts say. "Premium brands earn their status through scarcity, tight distribution, and pricing discipline," the analysts say. "Expanding aggressively into lower-end channels can weaken a brand's exclusivity and ultimately pressure pricing power." Premium brands like On and Hoka have essentially no presence at Famous Footwear, they say, noting they believe Under Armour's expansion into Kohl's during the mid-2010s chipped away at its premium positioning. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1201 ET - Casey's General Stores says it is seeing the most weakness in beer, snacks and cigarettes. National brands for those industries have raised prices, deterring some consumers, executives say on a call with analysts. Snack companies in particular have raised prices, particularly on chips: "They just priced themselves out of the market, frankly," one executive says. Lower demand for non-premium beer and cigarettes are part of a broader industry slowdown that has been going on for years, the executives say. Liquor and nicotine alternatives, such as oral pouches, have helped offset some of the slower sales in beer and cigarettes, they say. Casey's shares fall 15%. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1156 ET - Casey's General Stores is navigating a choppy fuel environment as rising oil costs weigh on its profitability. "Volatile is the word I would describe the fuel margins," Chief Financial Officer Steve Bramlage says on a call with analysts. "Depending on the headlines that you read about in the paper and social media, there would be a corresponding move in fuel margin over the next day or two." Margins swung from the 30% range to the 60% range during the latest quarter, Bramlage says. Because of the external factors, it has been impossible to solve the problem over the course of a quarter, he says. Casey's shares slide 15%. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1107 ET - Recent clinical-trial setbacks mean Novartis needs to be near-flawless in bringing the rest of its pipeline to the market or look for deals, but the Swiss drugmaker shouldn't rush it, RBC Capital Markets analysts say in a research note. "Shares have pulled back from all-time highs, but we see no urgency to act," the analysts say. The failures of cardiovascular and neuromuscular drugs pelacarsen and del-desiran raise the bar for Novartis's pipeline, given that these were two important candidates to offset sales lost to upcoming patent expirations, they add. RBC starts coverage on the stock with a sector perform recommendation and a target price of 120 Swiss francs. Shares fall 0.3% to 111.44 francs. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1059 ET - Roche Holding's base business is gaining momentum and its drug pipeline offers deeper potential than the market gives it credit for, RBC Capital Markets analysts write in a research note. The crown jewel in the Swiss drugmaker's portfolio is breast-cancer drug candidate giredestrant, which could generate annual sales of as much as $14 billion, according to RBC. Giredestrant has the potential to become a cornerstone therapy in breast cancer, the analysts say. But other drugs in Roche's pipeline such as enicepatide for obesity, pegozafermin for fatty liver disease and fenebrutinib for multiple sclerosis could see upgrades to consensus expectations, they add. RBC starts coverage on Roche with an outperform recommendation and a target price of 400 Swiss francs.Shares fall 0.8% to 347.70 francs. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1049 ET - French drugmaker Sanofi and U.S. partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals could extend the U.S. patent on their blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug Dupixent by two years to 2033, RBC Capital Markets analysts write in a research note. RBC sees a 70% chance of this happening and says the move could help Sanofi as it reshapes its portfolio. "Sanofi is navigating a pivotal transition amid near-term challenges," the analysts say. Despite Dupixent's strength, investors want proof of diversified growth and acquisitions seem likely, they add. RBC starts coverage of Sanofi with a sector perform recommendation and a target price of 80 euros. Shares fall 0.9% to 74.05 euros. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

1049 ET - Bitcoin stays in its recent range between $77,000 to $81,000, with it trading up 0.7% to $79,068. The volume and activity that powered bitcoin in recent weeks appears to have shifted towards altcoins, says analysts with Bitfinex in a note. "Every one of the 29 largest liquid pairs rose between 1-8 September, with a median gain of 10.2% against 1.4% for bitcoin," says the firm. Polkadot is the leading gainer among major cryptocurrencies in that timeframe, having gained 35% in the past week, according to data from CoinGlass. "This reflects a return of risk appetite in the market," says Bitfinex. Ethereum rises 0.6% to $2,498, XRP climbs 0.7% to $1.42, and solana is up 0.4% to $103.47.