Apple, Yahoo, Netflix among notable S&P 500 losers

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Shares of Apple Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Netflix Inc. were among some of the notable S&P 500 components stuck in negative territory on Tuesday as the broader market retreated for a second session as the political stalemate in Washington, D.C., weighed on investor sentiment.

Trending ticker symbols Apple Apple's gold iPhone 5S.

$AAPL: Apple (AAPL) shares are down 1.2% despite good news from Washington, D.C. The U.S. government on Tuesday upheld a ban on the import and sale of several Samsung Electronics Co. (KR:005930)   devices, taking Apple's side in its battle with the Korean company, according to The Wall Street Journal. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman decided not to exercise his veto on the ban on Samsung products, saying there was no basis on policy grounds for doing so. In August, Froman had overturned a similar ban on some Apple products that had favored Samsung, the newspaper said.

$TLM: Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM)  shares fell 2.5%. Activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed a 6% stake in the oil and gas producer on Monday. Icahn said in a tweet he might discuss strategic alternatives and board seats with the company.

$NUAN: Shares of Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN)  retreated 1.8%. The company on Tuesday named Brett Icahn and David Schechter to the board, effective immediately. The appointments mean Icahn and his affiliates, which hold a combined 16.7% stake in Nuance, agree to support the board director nominees at the coming annual meeting. Carl Icahn said in a tweet he thinks the new directors could help boost Nuance's stock price.

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Netflix (NFLX)  shares dropped 5.3%. Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates on Monday again picked out Netflix and Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)  as two names that could become extremely volatile as they have turned into cult stocks, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Yahoo (YHOO)  shares shed 4.8%. The Internet portal on Tuesday announced a redesign of its email service. "Today is Yahoo Mail's sweet 16, and to celebrate we're making our Mail experience elegant and intuitive on desktop, iOS, and Android," said the company on its blog.

Pandora Media Inc. (P)  shares slumped 8%. The Internet radio's stock has been under pressure since the launch of Apple Inc.'s iTunes Radio service recently.

Online travel sites TripAdvisor Inc. (TRIP)  slid 5.6%, Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN)  declined 5.1% and Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (OWW) lost 5.6%. An overview of summer activity on Internet-based travel agencies indicated mixed performance for the different sites, Barron's reported on Tuesday, citing RBC Capital Market's Mark Mahaney.

Facebook Inc. (FB)  shares fell more than 6%. Twitter's proposed initial public offering has prompted investors to take a closer look at the rivalry between the social-media companies and how much impact Twitter can potentially have on Facebook's bottom line.

Shares of Red Hat (RHT)  are off 4.6%. Analysts at J.P. Morgan cut the stock's price target to $37 from $39 on an assumption of lower future free cash flow growth.

Masco Corp. (MAS) shares slid 4.4%. The stock's rating was lowered to underweight from hold at KeyCorp, according to Analyst Ratings Network.

Gainers

Monster Beverage Corp. (MNST)  shares climbed 4.8%. The stock is getting a lift from a report from BMO Capital that suggested strong sales in September, according to Street Insider.

J.C. Penney (JCP)  shares gained 3.4%. September same-store sales fell 4% from the year-ago period but were up 5.8% from August sales, part of an "improving trend" in sales, the company said Tuesday.

McKesson (MCK)  shares rose 3.6%. The drug distributor is in talks to buy rival Celesio AG for more than $5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. If the negotiations progress, McKesson could announce a bid as early as this month, the newspaper said.