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April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened flat on Monday as investors found few reasonsto keep buying following a strong rally last week and ahead of aheavy week of corporate earnings. The Dow Jones industrialaverage was up 0.25 percent at 16,448.9, the S&P 500 was up 0.22 percent at 1,868.98 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.26 percent at 4,106.1.
** HALLIBURTON CO, $63.289, +3.92 pct
The world's No. 2 oilfield services company, reportedbetter-than-expected quarterly results, helped by robustdrilling activity in Russia, Saudi Arabia and Angola.
** HASBRO INC, $55.255, +1.18 pct
The toymaker reported a quarterly profit, compared with ayear-ago loss, helped by strong demand for its toys for girls.Sales of girls' toys such as My Little Pony and Nerf Rebelleincreased 21 percent to $138.7 million in the first quarterended March 30.
** SAREPTA THERAPEUTICS INC, $36.8001, +50.82 pct
** PROSENSA HOLDING NV, $5.55, +9.47 pct
Sarepta said it would start new trials to revive the chanceof approval for its experimental muscle disorder drug after theU.S. Food and Drug Administration advised the company to submitnew safety and efficacy data.
Prosensa makes drisapersen, a competing drug that failed alate-stage trial in September 2012.
** TEVA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES LTD, $51.01,+0.31 pct
** MYLAN INC, $47.94, +2.17 pct
** MOMENTA PHARMACEUTICALS INC, $11.9984, +8.09 pct
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday denied a request by Teva tostay a lower-court ruling in a patent case that favored thedevelopers of generic versions of the Israel-based company'stop-selling multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone.
The decision could help pave the way for generic competitorsof Teva's Copaxone drug to go on the market as soon as nextmonth.
The lower-court ruling in July 2013 was in favor of twoteams developing cheaper generic forms of Copaxone: onecomprising Novartis AG's Sandoz Inc and MomentaPharmaceuticals, and the other comprising Mylan Inc andNatco Pharma Ltd.
** CBEYOND INC, $9.79, +38.28 pct
Privately held enterprise Internet-based communicationsservices provider Birch Communications Inc said it agreed to buythe data center and networking services provider Cbeyond Inc forabout $323 million in cash to expand its optical fiber and datacenter network.
Cbeyond shareholders will get between $9.97 and $10 pershare. At $9.97 per share, the offer represents a premium of40.8 percent over the closing price of Cbeyond's stock onThursday.
** PLUG POWER, $8.03, +9.70 pct
The US fuel cell maker said on Monday Chief Executive AndyMarsh will provide update on the company's plans for its GenKeyhydrogen fuel cells, and ReliOn acquisition At 10 am ET.
** ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC, $4.14, +12.20 pct
The chipmaker reported better-than-expected quarterlyresults on Thursday and its second-quarter revenue forecast wasabove analysts' estimates.
At least two brokerages raised their price targets on thestock on Monday.
** CALPINE CORP, $22.28, +4.26 pct
U.S. power and energy infrastructure owner LS Power EquityAdvisors LLC said it has agreed to buy about 3,500 MW ofgeneration resources in the southeastern United States fromCalpine for $1.57 billion. The portfolio consists of sixcombined-cycle generation facilities which use natural gas asthe primary fuel source, LS Power Equity said.
Calpine mainly owns and operates natural gas-fired andgeothermal power plants in North America.
** PERFECT WORLD CO LTD, $19.335, -1.20 pct
** SHANDA GAMES LTD, $6.71, +1.36 pct
China-based online game developer Perfect World said itjoined the consortium offering to buy rival Shanda Games.Perfect World said it would buy 30.3 million class A ShandaGames shares for $100 million from Shanda InteractiveEntertainment Ltd, a shareholder in Shanda Games.
** NU SKIN ENTERPRISES INC, $87.52, +1.27 pct
The direct-selling skincare and nutritional product companyon Saturday said its Nu Skin China unit plans to immediatelyresume corporate-hosted business meetings and will beginaccepting applications for new sales people on May 1.
"China is an important marketplace for Nu Skin and we arecommitted to operating in full compliance with China's directselling regulations to promote long-term success," the companysaid in a statement.
** TREEHOUSE FOODS INC, $72.38, +0.32 pct
The food manufacturer said it will acquire Canada-basedProtenergy Natural Foods from Whitecastle Investments Ltd,Whitecap Venture Partners and others for about C$170 million.
Protenergy Natural Foods makes private-label broth, soupsand gravies.
** GENERAL MOTORS CO, $33.95, -0.09 pct
The U.S. car giant plans to invest $12 billion in China from2014 to 2017 and build more plants next year as it competes withaggressive rivals in the world's largest auto market.
** NEWMONT MINING CORP, $25.01, +6.24 pct
The talks between Barrick Gold Corp and NewmontMining over a combination that would create a gold miningbehemoth have hit a snag, but two sources close to the situationsay the companies remain keen on a deal and discussions arelikely to resume.
** PFIZER INC, $30.71, +1.52 pct
The U.S. pharmaceutical giant has approached British rivalAstraZeneca Plc to propose a 60 billion pound ($101billion) takeover, Britain's Sunday Times reported.
** APPLE INC, $527.78, +0.54 pct
** GOOGLE INC, $539.44, -0.72 pct
Apple and Google are wooing game developers to ensure thattop game titles arrive first on devices powered by theirrespective operating system, the Wall Street Journal reported,citing people familiar with the matter.
** COMCAST CORP, $49.61, +1.04 pct
** CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS INC, $121.75, +3.33 pct
Comcast is in talks with Charter Communications over sellingor spinning off roughly 3 million subscribers worthapproximately $18 billion to $20 billion as part of thedivestitures related to its $45.3 billion takeover of TimeWarner Cable, according to a source familiar with thematter.
** VIMPELCOM LTD, $9.325, +3.61 pct
Russia's Vimpelcom has resolved a long-running dispute withthe Algerian government by selling it a majority stake in thecountry's biggest telecoms operator for $2.6 billion, while itwill keep control and slash debt.
** WALT DISNEY CO, $79.49, -0.63 pct
Walt Disney Co's cable networks are expected to record highsingle-digit growth in operating income and domestic affiliaterevenue from fiscal 2014 through 2016, Chief Financial OfficerJay Rasulo told investors on Thursday.
** SPRINT CORP, $8.57, +0.59 pct
** T-MOBILE US INC, $30.44, +0.13 pct
A possible merger between Sprint and T-Mobile could promptU.S. regulators to rewrite rules they are now weighing for a2015 auction of airwaves, according to sources familiar with theproposed regulations.
** LULULEMON ATHLETICA INC, $49.854, -3.59 pct
A U.S. judge has issued final dismissals of lawsuitsaccusing Lululemon and various company officials of defraudingshareholders by concealing defects in yoga pants.
** ATHENAHEALTH, $138.736, -4.70 pct
The healthcare IT services company on Thursday reportedfirst-quarter adjusted earnings and revenue that fell below WallStreet estimates.
Three brokerages, including Oppenheimer, Deutsche Bank andB. Riley cut their price targets on the company' stock, citingweakness in its Epocrates business - a mobile medicalapplication.
** SELECT COMFORT CORP, $18.98, +6.93 pct
The specialty mattress maker on Thursday reportedfirst-quarter sales that beat analysts' estimates, helped by a 2percent rise in comparable sales.
** WEIBO CORP, $22.65, +11.91 pct
The Chinese Twitter-like messaging service company'sU.S.-listed shares were up premarket on Monday after they soared19 percent on their debut on Thursday.
** UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC, $76.3, +0.69 pct
The largest U.S. health insurer, said it spent more than$100 million to cover a pricey new hepatitis C drug from GileadSciences Inc in its first three months on the market,an amount that was "multiple" times what it had expected.
** ABBOTT LABORATORIES, $38.81, -0.31 pct
An Abbott Laboratories spinoff urged a federal appealscourt to revisit a ruling in a case against GlaxoSmithKline Plc, but without disturbing landmark constitutionalprotections for gays and lesbians.
** KRAFT FOODS GROUP INC, $56.83, -0.14 pct
Kraft Foods is recalling about 96,000 pounds of Oscar MayerClassic Wieners because the packages may instead contain ClassicCheese Dogs made with milk, a known allergen.
** PLATINUM UNDERWRITERS HOLDINGS LTD, $62.35, +0.31pct
Brokerage Keefe Bruyette & Woods raised the reinsuranceprovider's target price to $69 from $67, after the company'searnings for the quarter ended March 31 beat analysts' estimateswith strong underwriting, investing, and capital managementperformance. The company reported earnings per share of $2.27,higher than analysts' average estimate of $1.28, according toThomson Reuters I/B/E/S. [ID: nPn5HRfMd]
** AMERICAN TOWER CORP, $82.44, -0.25 pct
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd' telecommunications unit, which holds nationwide 4G permits, hasagreed to lease mobile phone masts from infrastructure providerAmerican Tower Corp's local arm, the companies said in astatement on Monday.
** CHINDEX INTERNATIONAL INC, $23.69, +3.27 pct
Chinese drugmaker Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd has raised its offer for U.S.-listed ChindexInternational Inc by 15 percent to $223.6 million aftera bidding war for the China-focused hospital chain.
** PEOPLE'S UNITED FINANCIAL INC, $14.65, +0.76 pct
Brokerage Keefe Bruyette & Woods cut the lender's targetprice to $14.50 from $15, citing low profitability until thecompany improves return on assets and efficiency ratio.
** PRIVATEBANCORP INC, $29.93, +1.15 pct
KBW raised its price target on the stock to $34 from $33after the bank reported better-than-expected first quarterresults on Thursday, helped by commercial loan growth.
** LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORP, $46.33, -0.09 pct
The analog chipmaker said on Thursday it expects revenue togrow 2-6 percent from $348 million in the third quarter, that is$355-$369 million. Analysts on average were expecting revenue of$365 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** RADIOSHACK CORP, $1.47, +4.26 pct
The struggling U.S. electronics chain is mired in talks withits lenders over its plans to close about 1,100 stores,complicating its turnaround efforts, the Wall Street Journalreported, citing sources close to the talks.
RadioShack, which operates about 4,300 stores in the UnitedStates, said in March that the plan needed permission from itslenders, adding that its credit agreements allowed it to closeonly about 200 stores without the approval of lead lenders, theJournal said late on Wednesday. (http://r.reuters.com/vyg68v)
The company reported a wider quarterly loss and a huge dropin sales during the holiday season.
** BIOGEN IDEC INC, $294.058, +1.21 pct
Biogen is pricing its newly approved long-acting hemophiliadrug, Alprolix, to cost U.S. patients, and insurers, about thesame per year as older, less convenient therapies whose pricecan reach about $300,000 annually.
The move could pressure rivals such as Pfizer Inc tolower prices for existing hemophilia treatments, which providepatients with life-saving infusions of a blood clotting agent,according to doctors and industry analysts.
** HILLSHIRE BRANDS CO, $36.14, +0.08 pct
The maker of Jimmy Dean sausages and Ball Park hot dogs saidit has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Van's NaturalFoods from private equity firm Catterton Partners for about $165million to expand its presence in the frozen foods category.
Van's Natural Foods makes frozen waffles and breakfastsandwiches, as well as gluten-free cereals and crackers. (Compiled by Rohit T.K. in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Das)
