The markets advanced during the midday with the Dow climbing 75 points to 17,019 on strong jobs data. Nasdaq gained 21 points to 4,728.
On the upside
Rising crude oil prices lifted shares of California Resources (NYSE: CRC) and Denbury Resources (NYSE: DNR).
Approach Resources (Nasdaq: AREX) reported a smaller than expected loss for the fourth quarter.
Shares of Tidewater (NYSE: TDW) continued climbing.
On the downside
Barclays lowered its price target on Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) from $24 to $22 earlier this week.
TheStreet wrote that Ultra Petroleum (NYSE: UPL) faces many challenges to effectively turn the stock around.
BB&T Capital Markets downgraded Cal-Maine Foods (Nasdaq: CALM) from a Hold rating to an Underweight rating.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 7 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 gained 8 points to 2,001. Bitcoin held steady at $420.