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Feb 7 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks to watch on Thursday:
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FUTURES CLIMB AHEAD OF ECB, CLAIMS DATA
Futures advanced, indicating the S&P 500 may rise for athird straight session ahead of a European Central Bank ratedecision and data on the U.S. labor market.
S&P 500 futures rose 2.7 points and were above fairvalue, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into accountinterest rates, dividends and time to expiration on thecontract. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 25points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 3.25 points.
** VODAFONE GROUP PLC , Wednesday close$26.89, up 1.5 pct premarket
The UK-based telecom operator said it received a transferpricing order in India over the issue of shares by its unitVodafone India Services Private Ltd.
** PATTERSON-UTI ENERGY INC, Wednesday close$20.80, up 6 pct premarket
The onshore driller's fourth-quarter results beat analysts'expectations on strong performance at its pressure pumpingbusiness, which is used in the hydraulic fracturing process thatreleases oil and gas from shale rocks. Profit at the company'scontract drilling business also exceeded analysts estimates.
** MONSTER WORLDWIDE INC, Wednesday close $5.85,down 5 pct premarket
The online recruitment company which is up for sale,reported a quarterly loss and said it exited its businesses inBrazil, Mexico and Turkey.
** BUNGE LTD, Wednesday close $79.38, down 3.2 pctpremarket
The agribusiness company reported a fourth-quarter loss,hurt by goodwill impairment and other charges, and said ChiefExecutive Alberto Weisser would retire.
** SPRINT NEXTEL CORP, Wednesday close $5.77, down 1.2pct premarket
The No.3 U.S. mobile service provider, which is seeking tosell 70 percent of its shares to Japan's SoftBank Corp,posted higher fourth-quarter revenue even as it lost subscribersdue to the wind-down of its older Nextel network.
** JOHNSON & JOHNSON, Wednesday close $75.39, down0.5 pct premarket
Brokerage Credit Suisse downgraded the company's stock to"underperform" from "neutral."
** AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC, Wednesday's close$41.58, down 16 pct premarket
The Internet content delivery company forecastcurrent-quarter revenue below analysts' expectations as thecompany plans to wind down some media contracts.
** DEVRY INC, Wednesday's close $26.18, up 13 pctpremarket
The for-profit education company posted ahigher-than-expected quarterly profit on lower costs and higherenrollments at its medical and healthcare colleges in the UnitedStates and Canada.
** TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR INC, Wednesday close$5.34, down 8 pct premarket
The chipmaker forecast current-quarter results belowanalysts' estimates after some orders were pulled into thefourth quarter.
** GREEN MOUNTAIN COFFEE ROASTERS INC, Wednesday'sclose $48.94, down 8 pct premarket
The maker of the Keurig single-cup coffee brewer and K-Cupsexpects sales growth in the current quarter that is slightlylower than analysts expected as retailers work through unsoldinventory of its products after a slower-than-expected holidayseason.
** COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS CORP, Wednesday'sclose $76.27, up 3 pct premarket
The IT services company reported a higher quarterly profitas revenue from financial services clients jumped 20 percent.
** US AIRWAYS GROUP INC, Wednesday's close $14.56,up 2 pct premarket
** AMR CORP, Wednesday's close $1.22
The American Airlines parent and US Airways are hashing outthe last major details of a merger agreement that would createthe world's largest airline and are racing to finalize a deal,the Wall Street Journal reported citing people close to thediscussions.
** SONY CORP , Wednesday's close $15.82,down 2 pct premarket
The company stuck with its full-year profit forecast as aweaker yen and asset sales underpinned earnings, offsettingweaker demand for its televisions, game consoles and otherdevices.
** NEWS CORP, Wednesday's close $28.22, down 2 pctpremarket
Rupert Murdoch's company reported higher quarterly revenueand profit on strong growth at its cable assets including itsRegional Sports and FX networks.
** STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE INC,Wednesday's close $62.60, up 2 pct after market
The hotelier, whose brands include Sheraton and Westin,reported a 59 percent fall in fourth-quarter profit fromcontinuing operations as costs rose, and said it expects demandto be higher this year.
** YAHOO INC, Wednesday close $19.85, up 1.5 pctpremarket
Pivotal research raised the Internet company's stock to"buy" from "hold."
** RANDGOLD RESOURCES LTD , Wednesday close$96.95, down 1.5 pct premarket
Citi Investment Research cut its target price on TheAfrica-focused miner's stock.
** THE MCGRAW HILL COS INC, Wednesday's close$44.61, up 1 pct premarket
Standard and Poor's has hired John Keker, one of thecountry's top white-collar defense attorneys, to help fight a $5billion lawsuit brought by the U.S. government this week. TheU.S. government sued Standard & Poor's in federal court in LosAngeles on Monday, accusing the McGraw Hill Cos unit of a schemeto defraud investors in mortgage-related securities thatcollapsed in the financial crisis.
** HERBALIFE INC, Wednesday's close $35.79, up 1 pctpremarket
The embattled nutritional supplements company is disclosingmore information about how much its U.S. distributors earned in2012 than it did in 2011, though the details are unlikely tosatisfy critics like billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
** VISA INC, Wednesday close $160.82, down 2 pct aftermarket
The company's quarterly profit beat analysts' estimates forthe ninth consecutive quarter as credit, debit and transactionsgrew at the world's largest payments network.
** ZUMIEZ INC, Wednesday's close $22.15, up 6 pctafter market
The teen-focused retailer increased its fourth-quarterearnings forecast to between 65 cents and 66 cents per share.
** GEOSPACE TECHNOLOGIES CORP, Wednesday's close$93.82, up 5 pct after market
The company, which designs instruments to acquire seismicdata, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit. Thecompany reported a first-quarter profit of $1.70, toppinganalyst's expectations of $1.22 per share, according to ThomsonReuters I/B/E/S.
** TRUE RELIGION APPAREL INC, Wednesday's close$23.75, up 5 pct after market
The premium jeans maker forecast full-year earnings between$1.89 and $1.95 per share, above analysts' expectations of $1.86per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** O'REILLY AUTOMOTIVE INC, Wednesday's close$92.59, up 4 pct aftermarket
The auto parts retailer forecast 2013 earnings between $5.57 and $5.67 per share, beating analysts' expectations of$5.44 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** ATMEL CORP Wednesday's close $7.14, down 7 pctafter market
The company, which supplies chips used for makingtouchscreens for smartphones to Samsung Electronics and Dell Inc, forecast first-quarter revenue of $311million to $328 million on seasonal declines in MaxTouch, memoryand ASIC businesses. Analysts on an average had a first-quarterrevenue forecast of $331.2 million, according to Thomson ReutersI/B/E/S.
** FMC Corp, Wednesday's close $61.85, down 3 pctafter market
The chemicals company forecast full-year earnings between$3.81 and $4.01 per share, largely below analysts' expectationsof $4 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** TESORO CORP, Wednesday's close $51.16, down 3 pctafter market
The company reported a smaller-than-expected quarterlyprofit of $1.34 per share, below analyst's expectations of $1.37per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** IROBOT CORP, Wednesday close $23.82, down 9 pctafter market
The robot maker forecast first-quarter results largely belowanalysts' estimates late on Wednesday, citing an uncertaineconomic environment in Europe. It expects to break even or earnup to 7 cents per share on revenue between $98 million and $102million. Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 7 centsper share, excluding items, on revenue of $103.2 million,according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** PEREGRINE SEMICONDUCTOR CORP, Wednesday's close$10.98, down 9 pct after market
Canaccord Genuity cut the price target on the company'sstock to $17 from $23
** ORASURE TECHNOLOGIES INC, Wednesday's close$7.02, down 6 pct after market
The company forecast a first-quarter loss between 18 centsand 19 cents per share, while analysts were expecting a loss of14 cents per share.
** SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP INC, Wednesday's close$14.49, up 3 pct after market
The diversified television broadcasting company reported aquarterly profit of 73 cents per share, topping analyst'sexpectations of 59 cents per share, according to Thomson ReutersI/B/E/S.
** ALLSTATE CORP, Wednesday's close $44.31, up 3 pctafter market
The home and auto insurer's quarterly profit fell 45 percenton losses from superstorm Sandy, but the company said it haspaid out about 95 percent of Sandy claims and is seeing rateincreases across businesses.
** YELP INC, Wednesday's close $22.38, down 3 pctafter market
The consumer review website posted a bigger-than-expectedquarterly loss and its shares fell 6 percent in after-markettrading as the company faces competition from Facebook.
** BOEING CO, Wednesday close $76.29
The company is working on battery design changes that wouldminimize fire risks on its grounded 787 Dreamliner and couldhave the passenger jet flying again as soon as March, the WallStreet Journal reported on Wednesday.
** J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO, Wednesday's close $48.61
Emails and employee interviews filed as part of a lawsuitshow that the company flouted quality controls as it bundledmortgages into complex financial instruments, the New York Timesreported.
** MICROSOFT CORP, Wednesday's close $27.34
** SYMANTEC CORP, Wednesday's close $22.28
The software makers said they disrupted a global cyber crimeoperation by shutting down servers that controlled hundreds ofthousands of PCs without the knowledge of their users.
** SERVICESOURCE INTERNATIONAL INC, Wednesday'sclose $6.63
The company, which helps manage service contract renewals,mainly for tech companies, reported a quarterly profit of 5cents per share that beat analysts' expectations of 1 cent pershare, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
** SIERRA WIRELESS INC , Wednesday's close$11.66
The Canadian wireless communication equipment maker saidhigher operating costs will result in a first-quarter loss, evenafter posting a profit that beat analysts' estimates in thelatest three months.
** ELBIT SYSTEMS , Wednesday's close$37.50
Indian auto components maker Bharat Forge and theIsraeli defense contractor said on Thursday they were forming ajoint venture to supply advanced artillery and mortar systems tothe Indian military.
** TOWERS WATSON CO, Wednesday close $61.82
The employee-benefits consultancy firm's second-quarterresults easily beat analysts' estimates, and the companyforecast third-quarter revenue largely above expectations.Towers Watson earned $1.48 per share, excluding items, onrevenue of $946 million. Analysts on average expected earningsof $1.26 per share, excluding items, on revenue of $897 million,according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. For the current quarter,the company forecast revenue between $940 million and $960million, largely above the analysts' estimate of $943.5 million.
** GOOGLE INC, Wednesday's close $770.17
The largest search engine company said it will requirecurrent advertisers using its AdWords online-ad system to payfor ads on some mobile devices, like tablets, for the firsttime, the Wall Street Journal reported.
** IAC/INTERACTIVECORP, Wednesday's close $43.01
The web-holding firm said growth in its search business willslow from the "meteor ride" of the past two years, but it wasconfident of double-digit growth for the "foreseeable future."
** DELL INC, Wednesday's close $13.52
Michael Dell and his investment firm are ponying up $750million in cash toward the $24.4 billion purchase of the PCmaker to help bankroll the largest private equity-backed buyoutsince the financial crisis.
** SANDRIDGE ENERGY CORP, Wednesday's close $6.15
The company is giving its chief executive wide latitude toprofit from personal oil-and-gas deals in ways that posepotential conflicts of interest with the company, according to areview of employment contracts and recenttransactions.
** COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP, Wednesday close $101.7
The largest U.S. warehouse operator posted a 4 percent risein comparable sales in January, marginally above analysts'estimates, despite having one less sales day in the reportingperiod. (Compiled by Mridhula Raghavan in Bangalore)
