Sunday, May 18, 2014

Stocks to Watch: J.C. Penney, Darden Restaurants, CFR Pharmaceuticals

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday’s session are J.C. Penney Co.(JCP), Darden Restaurants Inc.(DRI) and CFR Pharmaceuticals(CFR.SN).

J.C. Penney Co. said its sales, excluding newly opened or closed stores, climbed 6.2% in the latest period, easily topping expectations and improving in each month of the quarter. The company also said it obtained a new credit line that expands its borrowing capacity.

Darden Restaurants Inc. agreed to sell its struggling Red Lobster chain to private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion in cash, despite long-running criticism of the move from several investors.

Abbott Laboratories ag(ABT)reed to buy CFR Pharmaceuticals for $2.9 billion, significantly expanding its presence in Latin America. CFR Pharmaceuticals, based in Santiago, Chile, participates in 15 Latin American markets and has more than 1,000 products

Chesapeake Energy Corp.(CHK) said Friday that it will proceed with a spinoff of its oil-field services operations to shareholders as it also plans other asset sales.

Nordstrom Inc.(JWN) said Thursday its fiscal first-quarter profit slipped 3.5%, but the high-end department-store operator’s earnings and sales still outpaced expectations. The company also said it will seek a financial partner for its Nordstrom credit card receivables, which totals approximately $2 billion.

Gentiva Health Services Inc.(GTIV) confirmed Thursday that its board has rejected Kindred Healthcare Inc.'s(KND) $533 million takeover bid, saying the proposal significantly undervalues the company.

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.(WWE) reached a new long-term television deal with Comcast Corp.'s(CMCSA) NBCUniversal, ensuring that its wrestling stars will stay put on NBCU’s cable channels. The WWE agreed on a deal to keep its flagship show “Raw” on USA Network and its “SmackDown” Friday night show on Syfy.

Autodesk Inc.(ADSK) said its fiscal first-quarter earnings fell 49% as higher costs offset the design-software company’s revenue growth, though adjusted earnings and revenue beat expectations.

Applied Materials Inc.(AMAT) on Thursday reported a 19% jump in second-quarter sales, while swinging to a profit and posting its best operating margin in nearly three years. Applied predicted that sales in the current quarter would rise another 13% to 19% from the year-earlier period.

Union Pacific Corp.(UNP) unveiled a two-for-one stock split and said it will increase this year’s capital spending to $4.1 billion.

Carmike Cinemas Inc.(CKEC), the nation’s fourth-largest movie theater chain, said Thursday it is acquiring Digital Cinema Destinations Corp.(DCIN), a smaller rival that does business as Digiplex.

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc.(NAVB) said Chief Executive Mark Pykett would leave that post around the end of this month as the company restructures its biopharmaceutical product pipeline.

Dillard's Inc.(DDS) said its fiscal first-quarter profit slipped modestly, though its per-share earnings beat market expectations.

No comments:

Post a Comment