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

2109 ET - Immutep gets a new bull at Jefferies, where analyst David Stanton sees a clearer potential development path for the biotechnology company's lead product candidate. Raising his recommendation to buy from hold, Stanton is encouraged by the Australian company's update that the early discontinuation of a lung cancer study doesn't appear to be linked to clinical factors or trial execution. Emerging evidence supports a cautiously constructive view that the outcome stemmed from an isolated manufacturing or product-characterisation issue, Stanton explains in a note to clients. Risk/reward looks more constructive to Stanton, who now includes Immutep's phase IIhead and neck squamous cell carcinoma opportunity in his valuation. Jefferies doubles its target price to 8 Australian cents. Shares are flat at 4.7 Australian cents. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

2020 ET - Japanese stocks are lower in early trade, weighed by concerns about the Iran conflict and higher energy costs. Chip-related stocks and trading houses are leading declines. Tokyo Electron Ltd. is down 2.7% and Marubeni is 1.7% lower. The dollar is at 154.48 yen, compared with Y154.22 as of Monday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are closely watching developments in the Middle East and crude oil prices. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.2% at 63338.88. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com; @kosakunarioka)

2014 ET - LG Electronics could post a 3Q earnings beat, driven by its solid home appliance and television businesses, says SK Kim at Daiwa Capital. The analyst expects the company to see increased business opportunities related to artificial-intelligence data centers and robotics over the medium-to-long term. He estimates LG's 3Q operating profit at 1.003 trillion won, above the Bloomberg consensus estimate of 930 billion won. The company could secure more orders for AIDC cooling solutions in 2H and join global robotics supply chains in 2027, Kim says. LG's revenue from chillers could more than double in 2027, he adds. Daiwa upgrades its rating on the stock to buy from outperform and raises its target price by 64% to 250,000 won. Shares are 1.4% higher at 201,000 won. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

1948 ET - Japanese stocks may decline as concerns about the Iran conflict and energy costs continue. Nikkei futures are down 0.2% at 63125 on the SGX. The dollar is at 154.36 yen, compared with Y154.22 as of Monday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on developments in the Middle East and crude oil prices. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.8% to 63492.99 on Monday. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com)

1940 ET - Dexus's behavior around its buyback is seen by Jefferies analyst Andrew Dodds as giving mixed messages to shareholders. Dodds wonders why execution of the buyback has been so inconsistent given management's overwhelmingly positive commentary of it as a capital management tool. Dodds points out in a note to clients that the Australian real-estate operator paused the buyback ahead of its disappointing third-quarter update, and hasn't purchased stock for a week at the time of writing. The stock, which is down 20% so far in 2026, appears disconnected to net tangible assets, he adds. Jefferies has a last-published hold rating on the stock, and a target price of 5.60 Australian dollars. Shares are at A$5.55 ahead of the open. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1859 ET - Dave & Buster's Entertainment has adjusted its pricing strategy to simplify the customer experience and try to get consumers to stay longer, CEO Darin Harper tells analysts on a call. Customers have reported that the kiosk where they buy a card to use for arcade games is confusing and the price structure is difficult to figure out, Harper says. The company has simplified the kiosk experience and adjusted pricing to allow guests to play for longer. So far, time spent on the gaming floor is up 20%, Harper says. This helped boost revenue from food and dining during the quarter, as well, he says. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1856 ET - Dave & Buster's Entertainment Chief Executive Darin Harper says the company needs a marketing makeover. He tells investors on a call that the company's new chief marketing officer is the first after more than a year, and several years without consistent marketing leadership. The result was a constantly shifting promotional calendar and messaging that didn't resonate with consumers, Harper says. Dave & Buster's plans to simplify its marketing messages to be more consistent with pricing, while adding new types of games that will attract customers. Shares fall 12%.(katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1851 ET - Australian stocks look set to move lower at the open, following U.S. equities into the red amid higher oil prices and elevated bond yields. Local stock futures are down by 0.2% ahead of Tuesday's session, suggesting that the S&P/ASX 200 will reverse from a week-opening 0.1% advance that snapped a four-day losing streak. The benchmark index is 3.6% lower so far this month. Ahead of the open, coal miner New Hope reported a 63% fall in annual profit. Wealth manager Netwealth said it agreed to acquire advice platform Paradino for up to 29 million Australian dollars. In the U.S., the DJIA lost 0.3%, the S&P 500 fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite gave up 0.6%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1846 ET - Dave & Buster's Entertainment says it has had a decline in groups coming without children. The new executive team is looking to drive demand from adults to visit, without alienating families, Chief Executive Darin Harper says on a call with analysts. Halloween will be an early opportunity for the company since the holiday falls on a Saturday this year and is a high-spending day for consumers. "It creates this unique opportunity for our business to serve family demand earlier in the day and then convert into a differentiated adult occasion at night," Harper says.(katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1557 ET - Health tech is most likely to be the biggest beneficiary from AI, Tempus AI Chief Executive Eric Lefkofsky says on CNBC. AI models can make sense of large amounts of unstructured disparate data, which is the form most healthcare data takes, Lefkofsky says. Tempus specializes in using AI and data to improve the efficacy of diagnostics. Lefkofsky sees AI as opening the way to personalize treatments such as vaccines based on individuals' needs and genetic makeups. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1542 ET - Some cybersecurity stocks are trading at lofty valuations following a Monday rally fueled by a sell-off in the chip sector and fears of AI cyberattacks, with names like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike valued above their peak multiples in 2021. "We're definitely in a premium valuation territory," Jefferies analyst Joseph Gallo says in an interview, adding that inflecting fundamentals could support upward estimate revisions. "It's very clear that people are looking for momentum and inflection and durability, and that will ultimately justify valuations." The rally likely raises the bar for the next season of cybersecurity earnings, Gallo adds. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1510 ET - Roblox used its annual developers conference to highlight expansion of its catalog to browser and App Store-based games, an offline playing option, and an AI game development tool for non-technical creators, Wedbush says in a note. The company needs to retain developers and show investors a path back toward accelerating growth, and its updates at the conference were a start, the analysts say. "Roblox has a substantial opportunity ahead and is laying the groundwork well," they write. "We need more evidence on the monetization side, and specifically on the timeline for these initiatives to show up in bookings, before turning more constructive." They keep a perform rating but raise their price target to $48 from $40. Wells Fargo and Bank of America also lift their price targets on the stock. Shares gain 11%.