BP Share News (BP.)

U.S. stocks traded lower Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 4.9 points to 10193, the Standard & Poor's 500 declined 2.1 points to 1076 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 3.5 points to 2193. Among the companies whose shares are expected to actively trade in Monday's session are Hewitt Associates Inc. (HEW), Weyerhaeuser Co. (WY) and BP PLC (BP). Insurance broker Aon Corp. (AON, $35.45, -$2.89, -7.54%) has agreed to buy human-resource consulting and outsourcing company Hewitt Associates ($46.71, +$11.31, +31.95%) in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $4.9 billion. The deal will nearly triple the size of the Aon's consulting operations, making it a $4.3 billion business by revenue. Aon Hewitt, as the consulting and outsourcing operations will be known, will be run by Hewitt Chairman and Chief Executive Russ Fradin. Forest-products company Weyerhaeuser ($38.34, +$2.50, +6.98%) will distribute $5.6 billion in retained earnings and profits to its shareholders in the form of a special dividend, a required step on the way to becoming a real-estate investment trust. The $5.6 billion amount, which will be returned to shareholders mostly in stock, includes a regular $11 million quarterly dividend. The cash portion of the special dividend will be capped at 10%, or $560 million. Shares of BP ($36.70, +$2.65, +7.78%) gained on media speculation that the whole firm or some of its assets may be sold. The Wall Street Journal reported that BP was in talks to sell assets to Houston-based Apache Corp. (APA, $84.42, -$3.46, -3.94%) in a deal that could be worth as much as $10 billion. The Sunday Times said Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM, $58.81, +$0.03, +0.05%) and another U.S. oil firm have asked the U.S. government whether they could bid for BP. Meanwhile, BP said it plans to install a new sealing cap Monday morning that could contain all of the oil spewing from the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, the company's chief operating officer said. Hugh Hefner and private-equity company Rizvi Traverse Management LLC have proposed making an offer for the rest of Playboy Enterprises Inc. (PLA, $5.58, +$1.64, +41.63%) (PLA.A, $5.57, +$1.51, +37.19%) that he doesn't own, valuing the media and branding company at about $185 million. Meanwhile, FriendFinder Networks, the parent company of the men's magazine Penthouse, plans to make an offer to acquire Playboy, Friendfinder Chief Executive Marc Bell told The Wall Street Journal. UBS raised its stock-investment rating on flash-memory device maker SanDisk Corp. (SNDK, $45.38, +$2.48, +5.78%) to buy from neutral, citing favorable pricing and strong smartphone and consumer handheld design win momentum that could offset any retail softness. Needham & Co. raised its stock-investment rating on educational products company LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. (LF, $4.85, +$0.52, +12.11%) to strong buy, as the analysts said their retail checks indicate the company's products enjoyed very strong sales in the second quarter, and the second half outlook remains promising. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, $60.29, -$0.25, -0.41%) agreed to acquire Micrus Endovascular Corp. (MEND, $23.18, +$0.99, +4.46%) for $480 million, adding stroke-treatment device offerings to its wide breadth of medical products. The health-care giant has seen earnings rise lately, helped by rising sales and a $1.7 billion settlement with Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX, $6.45, -$0.02, -0.23%). Other Stocks In Focus Robert W. Baird & Co. cut its stock-investment rating on marketing services companies Acxiom Corp. (ACXM, $13.53, -$1.04, -7.14%) and Valassis Communications Inc. (VCI, $29.96, -$2.03, -6.35%) to neutral from outperform, citing the firm's quarterly marketing survey. The survey showed second-quarter revenues were mildly below expectations, 2010 growth expectations are coming down and there was a deteriorating trend in June. UBS cut its stock-investment rating on Aetna Inc. (AET, $26.93, -$0.70, -2.53%) to neutral from buy, saying health-care reform costs may delay margin expansion for the insurer. Drug company Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AUXL, $22.71, +$1.16, +5.36%) said second-quarter revenue for its hand-disorder drug Xiaflex of $3.1 million and reaffirmed its plans to initiate Phase III trials on the drug for the treatment of Peyronie's disease by the end of this year. J.P. Morgan upgraded sporting-goods retailer Cabela's Inc. (CAB, $14.59, +$0.39, +2.75%) to neutral from underweight. "Expectations have fallen significantly following the company's 1Q report," the firm said, and it believes "recent weakness in consumer spending and concerns surrounding CAB's ability to reverse the structural headwinds on the business are generally baked into expectations." Comparables on guns & ammo sales ease up after the second quarter, JPM said, and credit card metrics are expected to improve. China MediaExpress Holdings Inc. (CCME, $10.48, +$0.91, +9.51%) boosted its earnings target for the year on continued growth as the operator of a television-ad network aired in inter-city express buses around the country. Circor International Inc.'s (CIR, $27.61, +$1.25, +4.74%) Leslie Controls unit filed a plan for bankruptcy protection to stem litigation costs that have plagued the valve maker. The company has been defending Leslie against claims its products on U.S. Navy ships from the 1940s to the 1980s caused asbestos-related illness. The legal battle has been a black eye for a business that accounted for just 5.5% of Circor's revenue last year. After rallying Friday, material stocks gave back some of their gains. Decliners included Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (CLF, $48.30, -$2.77, -5.43%), Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX, $63.16, -$2.82, -4.27%), U.S. Steel Corp. (X, $41.54, -$1.34, -3.13%), AK Steel Holding Corp. (AKS, $12.94, -$0.44, -3.29%) and Titanium Metals Corp. (TIE, $19.08, -$0.59, -3.00%). (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires July 12, 2010 13:12 ET (17:12 GMT)