SAN FRANCISCO – Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Wednesday's session are FedEx Corp., 3Com Corp., and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.
3Com (COMS) is expected to report a fiscal second-quarter loss of 8 cents a share, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call.
Analysts expect Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) to post a per-share profit of 45 cents for the third quarter.
Cognos Inc. (COGN) is expected to report third-quarter earnings of 30 cents a share.
Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO) is seen posting fiscal first-quarter earnings of 31 cents a share.
FedEx Corp. (FDX) is expected to report a fiscal second-quarter per-share profit of $1.40.
Finish Line Inc. (FINL) is seen posting third-quarter earnings of 3 cents a share.
Herman Miller Inc. (MLHR) is expected to report fiscal second-quarter earnings of 39 cents a share.
Analysts expect Micron Technology (MU) to post fiscal first-quarter earnings of 11 cents a share.
Paychex Inc. (PAYX) is seen posting fiscal second-quarter per-share earnings of 29 cents.
Red Hat Inc. (RHAT) is expected to report earnings of 9 cents a share in the third quarter.
Research In Motion (RIMM) is seen posting a third-quarter profit of 65 cents a share.
Nike Inc. (NKE) late Tuesday said its second-quarter profit rose 15% to easily surpass Wall Street's view, but reported a sharp slowdown in orders scheduled for future delivery.
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Critical Therapeutics Inc. (CRTX) said it has initiated two new pharmacokinetic studies of zileuton to support a new drug application for a twice-a-day formulation. The studies are required to show that the pharmacokinetics of zileuton controlled-release tablets manufactured by Critical Therapeutics are similar to the pharmacokinetics of zileuton CR tablets previously manufactured and used in prior clinical trials when compared with zileuton immediate-release tablets. The Lexington, Mass.-based biopharmaceutical company expects to file the application in mid-2006, pending agreement by the Food and Drug Administration to allow a submission with only six months of stability data. Zileuton inhibits 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme responsible for the production of leukotrienes, a family of inflammatory mediators that can trigger asthma symptoms including inflammation, swelling, bronchoconstriction and mucus secretion.
Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) said it expects profits and sales for the remainder of its fiscal year to be "well below" previous estimates due to weaker-than-expected sales of its titles in North American and Europe.
Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. sold 12 million shares of General Motors Corp. (GM) on Friday and Monday, cutting his stake in the automaker to 7.8% from 9.9%, according to a Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Google Inc. (GOOG) has agreed to pay $1 billion to take a 5% equity stake in Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) America Online unit. Google will become the only other shareholder in AOL other than Time Warner. The media giant will retain management control and full strategic flexibility over AOL, while Google will have certain customary minority shareholder rights, including those associated with any future sale or public offering of AOL.
Jabil Circuit Inc. (JBL) said its fiscal first-quarter profit rose 38% as the electronics manufacturer saw sales jump by nearly a third.
Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT) is done with a years-long program aimed at reducing or removing trans fat in about 650 of its products, the company said.
Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. (MAA) increased its fourth-quarter outlook for funds from operations to be in the range of 76 cents to 81 cents a share/unit. The prior range was 72 cents to 77 cents a share/unit. Mid-America Apartment, a real estate investment trust, expects the full year's results to be in a range of $3.14 to $3.19 a share/unit. The company said it's been helped by stronger market conditions than anticipated.
Millipore Corp. (MIL) said it plans to repatriate $500 million of foreign earnings before the end of the year. The bioscience products provider said it will incur a related one-time charge of $26 million to $30 million in the fourth quarter. It plans to invest the proceeds in its U.S.-based growth initiatives. Millipore also said it has signed a new 5-year, $500 million revolving credit facility, which it will borrow against as part of the repatriation.
Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NWL) said it has launched a 3-year initiative announced in September that's aimed at fueling sustainable growth in sales, earnings and cash flow. The company had previously planned to launch its Project Acceleration program in the first quarter. Newell Rubbermaid said it expects to record pretax non-cash restructuring charges of $65 million to $85 million in the fourth quarter related to Project Acceleration. It expects full year 2005 per-share earnings from continuing operations of $1.43 to $1.48, excluding, among other items, the non-cash charge of 17 cents to 22 cents a share from the initiative. The consumer products maker also sees full-year 2006 earnings from continuing operations of $1.50 to $1.60 a share, excluding $145 million to $175 million in pretax restructuring charges related to the initiative.
Palm Inc. (PALM) said its quarterly profit soared more than ten-fold as it booked a large tax-related gain and sales climbed 18% on higher demand for its Treo communications device.
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) said that a Spanish court has upheld its patents covering the active ingredient in Lipitor, its popular cholesterol-lowering medication. The Court of First Instance in Madrid has ruled that the claims of Pfizer's patent covering atorvastatin are valid and enforceable, the New York-based pharmaceutical company said. The company was defending a lawsuit brought by Ratiopharm Espana S.A., which can appeal the decision. The patent at issue in the lawsuit expires in July 2010 and is subject to other pending challenges in Spain. Lipitor under the brand names Zarator and Cardyl in Spain.
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