The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on form again on Wednesday and on course to record a decent gain. At the time of writing the benchmark index is up almost 0.4% to 5,976.7 points.

Four shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are storming higher:

The Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price is up 3% to $60.93. Investors have been buying the payments company’s shares after it released an update on its UK business. According to the update, the Clearpay business has reached 1 million active customers after one year of operation in the country. Pleasingly, management notes that UK customers are using its service more frequently than its US customers were after one year in that market.

The APA Group (ASX: APA) share price has risen over 2.5% to $11.59. Investors have been buying the energy company’s shares after it revealed its distribution plans. APA announced an estimated final distribution of 27 cents per security for the second half. This brings its full year distribution to 50 cents per security, up 6.4% on FY 2019’s payout.

The Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) share price has jumped 4% to $5.48. Investors have been buying the gold miner’s shares today after the gold price hit its highest level since late in 2012. Evolution is just one of a number of gold miners charging higher. So much so, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index is up 2.5% at the time of writing.

The Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL) share price has climbed almost 4% to $30.03. Investors have been buying the healthcare company’s shares after it released a trading update. That update revealed that its performance rebounded strongly in May and June following weakness in March and April. As a result, management revealed that it is in a position to provide guidance again. It now expects its EBITDA to be broadly flat in FY 2020.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and APA Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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In late morning trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to continue its positive run. At the time of writing the benchmark index is up 0.3% to 5,973.6 points.

Four shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping lower:

The AMP Limited (ASX: AMP) share price is down over 2% to $1.86. The financial services company’s shares were solid performers on Tuesday after announcing the receipt of the final regulatory approval required for the sale of its life business to Resolution Life. This morning analysts at Morgan Stanley responded to the news by holding firm with their equal weight rating and $1.40 price target.

The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price has fallen 2% to $4.22. Investors may have been selling the airline operator’s shares amid concerns over another spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria. If it isn’t brought under control soon, there are worries it could delay the recovery in the domestic travel market.

The Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) share price is down by 2.5% to $2.84. This morning analysts at Morgans downgraded Qube’s shares to a reduce rating with a $2.45 price target. It appears to believe the company’s shares are overvalued after a strong gain over the last few months. Qube’s shares are up a massive 59% since this time in March.

The Transurban Group (ASX: TCL) share price is down over 1% to $14.62. This decline may have been driven by a broker note out of UBS this morning. According to the note, the broker has downgraded the toll road operator’s shares to a neutral rating with a $14.85 price target. UBS made the move on valuation grounds after a strong rebound in its share price over the last couple of months.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Transurban Group. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL) share price is pushing higher on Wednesday after the release of a trading update.

At the time of writing the healthcare company’s shares are up almost 3% to $29.76.

What did Sonic Healthcare announce?

After withdrawing its FY 2020 guidance in March because of the pandemic, this morning the company revealed that it is now in a position to provide guidance once again.

Management notes that its trading results in March and April were substantially below forecast, but things have picked up since then. In May, its performance was stronger than expected and in June this positive trend has continued.

As a result of the above, the company expects to report statutory earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) at a similar to level to what it achieved in FY 2019 (excluding the impact of the new lease accounting standard AASB 16). In FY 2019 Sonic reported statutory EBITDA of $1.075 billion.

Sonic’s CEO, Dr Colin Goldschmidt, was pleased with the way the company performed during the crisis.

He commented: “Sonic’s global leadership teams have responded magnificently to the Covid crisis, making use of established executive experience, trusted culture, team spirit and wide-open Sonic collaboration channels at national and international level.”

“Our leaders have shown great flexibility and have adapted rapidly to an entirely new operating environment. Sonic continues to play a crucial frontline role in combating the pandemic, with our laboratories in Australia, the USA and Europe testing thousands of patients per day for Covid-19,” he added.

What about FY 2021?

Due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, Sonic advised that it is not in a position to provide guidance for FY 2021 at this time. Though, it does intend to provide a further update with the FY 2020 results release in August 2020.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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