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March 6 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks to watch on Wednesday:
FUTURES GAIN, SET TO EXTEND RALLY; JOBS DATA DUE
Wall Street looked set to continue its rally on Wednesdayafter the Dow set a new record a day earlier and ahead of dataon the labor market. Futures for the S&P 500 were up 5.4points, the Dow Jones up 44 points and the Nasdaq 100 up 9.5 points.
** AEROVIRONMENT INC, Tuesday close $21.69, down24.5 pct premarket
The drone maker reported a lower quarterly profit and cutits full-year forecast on delays in government orders.
** MICROSOFT, Tuesday close $28.35, down 0.70 pctpremarket
The European Union fined Microsoft 561 million euros ($730million) on Wednesday for failing to offer consumers a choice ofweb browser, a charge that will act as a warning to othertechnology firms involved in antitrust disputes with the EU.
** APPLE INC, Tuesday close $431.14, up 0.20 pctpremarket
Apple has held talks with Beats Electronics LLC, the audiotechnology firm co-founded by influential hip-hop producer DrDre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine, on a potential partnershipinvolving Beats' planned music-streaming service, three peoplefamiliar with the situation told Reuters.
** GOOGLE INC, Tuesday close $838.60
** AMAZON.COM INC, Tuesday close $275.59
Google began testing a same-day delivery service withretailers in recent weeks, the latest move into Amazon'se-commerce turf by the world's largest Internet search company.
** HEWLETT-PACKARD CO, Tuesday close $20.37
Two leading proxy advisers on Tuesday urged HP shareholdersto oust several directors for their role in the ill-fated 2011acquisition of British software company Autonomy, with No. 1proxy firm ISS issuing a rare call to reject Chairman Ray Lane.
** STAPLES INC, Tuesday close $13.29, down 5 pctpremarket
The largest U.S. office supply chain, reportedlower-than-expected quarterly revenue and forecast weakfull-year earnings as corporate customers and other shoppers inEurope and North America reduced discretionary spending.
** NASDAQ OMX GROUP INC, Tuesday close $32.45
Nasdaq OMX said it will form a marketplace for trading inshares in unlisted companies in a joint venture with SharesPostInc, whose private trading platform has run into regulatorytrouble.
** TALISMAN ENERGY INC, Tuesday close $12.21
Talisman Energy, Canada's No. 6 independent oilproducer, said it expects 2013 capital budget to be 25 percentlower that last year.
** BOEING CO, Tuesday close $78.66
Boeing said this week it can move "really fast" to get its787 Dreamliner back into the skies once regulators approve a fixfor burning batteries on board the plane.
** MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, Tuesday close $12.09
** CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT CORP, Tuesday close $13.20,down 1 pct after market
In an unprecedented intervention in a state licensing case,the trade group for the U.S. casino industry has asked NewJersey regulators to bar a well-known online gambling companybased in the British Isles from returning to the U.S. market.
** ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC, Tuesday close $30.07
** ASSET ACCEPTANCE CAPITAL CORP, Tuesday close$5.76, up 11 pct premarket
Debt collector Encore Capital has agreed to buy AssetAcceptance for $200 million to strengthen its position in ahighly fragmented industry.
** JPMORGAN CHASE & CO, Tuesday close $49.49
MF Global and its creditors have resolved adispute with JPMorgan Chase over the value of intercompanyclaims within the bankrupt brokerage's estate, eliminating whatcould have been a sticking point in effecting MF Global'screditor repayment plan.
** DELL INC, Tuesday close $14.07
Dell's largest external shareholder is demanding that the PCmaker open its books, signaling it could become more active inopposing founder Michael Dell's proposal to take the companyprivate for more than $24 billion.
** UNIVERSAL DISPLAY CORP, Tuesday close $32.62
Universal Display, a provider of organic light-emittingdiode display technologies, said it expects OLED televisions totake off in 2014 and will bank on smartphones until then.
** BLACKSTONE GROUP LP, Tuesday close $19.01
** CARLYLE GROUP, Tuesday close $30.59
** LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORP, Tuesday close $61.75
Private equity firms including Blackstone and Carlyle areexploring a joint offer for Life Technologies, a biomedicallaboratory equipment maker with a $10 billion market value, twopeople familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
** VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC, Tuesday close $47.69
** VODAFONE GROUP PLC, Tuesday close $26.68, up 1.6pct premarket
Verizon has weighed several options involving itsrelationship with Vodafone and its joint ownership ofVerizon Wireless ranging from ending its wireless venture withthe European company to a full merger with Vodafone, Bloombergreported.
** MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA, Tuesday close$2.45
** MACY'S INC, Tuesday close $41.72
** J.C. PENNEY CO INC, Tuesday close $14.96
Martha Stewart said on Tuesday she was shocked that Macy'shad objected so strongly when she signed a deal with rivalretailer J.C. Penney.
** NEWS CORP, Tuesday close $30.19
The company's education division, Amplify, on Wednesdayintroduced the first tablet computer built specifically for theclassroom, in a bid to capture a slice of the billions ofdollars spent in U.S. public schools.
News Corp introduced a long-rumored national cabletelevision sports channel, Fox Sports 1, on Tuesday, aiming tocompete with leader ESPN in an increasingly crowded TV sportsmarketplace.
** VERIFONE SYSTEMS INC, Tuesday close $19.25, up 4pct after market
The credit card swipe machine maker's quarterly results beatestimates after it slashed its profit outlook on Feb. 20 leadinganalysts to question why the management was so off with itsforecasting when peers were not doing so badly.
** CITIGROUP INC, Tuesday close $43.60
Mike Corbat, the new chief executive of Citigroup, onTuesday announced profit targets for 2015 and said the globalcompany has identified at least 21 markets where it must makeimprovements or leave.
** CONAGRA FOODS INC, Tuesday close $34.73
** CHS INC, Tuesday close $32.25
Giant U.S. food and grain-handling companies ConAgra Foods,Cargill and CHS plan to combine their North Americanflour milling businesses into a new venture that would controlmore than a third of U.S. capacity, dwarfing all competitors insize and market reach.
** PFIZER INC, Tuesday close $28.07
U.S. regulators granted Pfizer a reissued patent on itsmultibillion-dollar Celebrex pain drug that extends itsmarketing exclusivity until early December 2015, the companysaid on Tuesday.
** HEALTHSOUTH CORP, Tuesday close $24.80, down 11pct after market
HealthSouth said four of its hospitals received subpoenasfrom the U.S. health regulator seeking information on patientadmissions and compliance with Medicare rules.
** VIMPELCOM, Tuesday close $12.12
The telecoms group reported a fourth-quarter net profit of$801 million, beating expectations, after a $381 million netloss in the same period of 2011, in part boosted by revaluingits stake in Russian cellphone retailer Euroset.
** FORD MOTOR CO, Tuesday close $12.87, up 0.54 pctpremarket
Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally this week was awardedperformance bonuses worth nearly $12 million, Ford disclosed toU.S. regulators on Tuesday.
** GENERAL MOTORS CO, Tuesday close $27.58
Eight top GM executives have been awarded more than 324,000restricted stock units that vest over the next three years,according to regulatory documents filed on Tuesday.
** MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL INC, Tuesday close $28.51
Cadbury Plc, now part of Mondelez International, used anonexistent factory in India to avoid about $46 million intaxes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing areport by the Indian tax authorities.
** TATA MOTORS LTD, Tuesday close $27.78
Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India's Tata Motors,will not expand its overseas production capacity until its newChina factory comes online, its CEO said on Tuesday, and willtarget growing demand in markets such as Turkey to continueround-the-clock manufacturing in the UK.
** CENTRAL EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTION CORP, Tuesdayclose $0.59
Stolichnaya Vodka-owner SPI Group said on Tuesday it washolding talks with Russian financial interests regardingPoland's indebted Central European Distribution, one of theworld's largest vodka producers.
** EXXON MOBIL, Tuesday close $89.61
China is willing to join Exxon Mobil in a giant Iraqioilfield project, a top executive said on Tuesday, which couldsee Beijing come to dominate Iraq's oilfields and help the U.S.major mend fences with Baghdad.
** CONOCOPHILLIPS, Tuesday close $57.66
Production of oil and gas from shale basins like the EagleFord in south Texas are growing fast enough that North Americamay be an energy exporter within a decade, the chief executiveof ConocoPhillips said on Tuesday.
** CHEVRON CORP, Tuesday close $117.93
Chevron said an overhaul of units at its 276,000 barrel perday (bpd) Los Angeles-area refinery in El Segundo, California,was "ongoing".
** ALAMOS GOLD INC, Tuesday close $13.39
** HECLA MINING CO, Tuesday close $4.01
** AURIZON MINES LTD, Tuesday close $4.20
Alamos Gold said it was close to blocking HeclaMining's rival bid for Aurizon Mines, and had thesupport of other "large shareholders."
** BEST BUY CO INC, Tuesday close $18.40, up 3 pctpremarket
The world's largest consumer electronics chain, named RonWilson as president and chief operating officer of its Canadianoperations.
** MGIC INVESTMENT CORP, Tuesday close $5.34, up 6pct premarket
The mortgage insurer said it would offer 135 million sharesand $350 million principal amount of convertible senior notes toboost its capital reserve.
** NORDION INC, Tuesday close $6.72
Nordion, a major provider of isotopes used inmedical imaging, reported a smaller quarterly loss due to a gainrelated to the recovery of income taxes.
** BROWN-FORMAN CORP, Tuesday close $68.03
The maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey and Finlandia vodkareported an 18 percent rise in third-quarter profit, helped bystrong global demand for North American whiskeys.
** OILTANKING PARTNERS LP, Tuesday close $44.85 Oiltanking Partners, an oil and gas transporter, will spend $44million to build a new vessel dock and upgrade existing ones atits terminal on the Houston Ship Channel to meet demand forexport of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). (Compiled by Chandni Doulatramani in Bangalore; Editing by MajuSamuel)
