AdvancersAircastle Ltd. (NYSE:
AYR -
News) agreed to acquire 38 aircraft from certain units of Guggenheim Aviation Investment Fund LP for about $1.595 billion. The company said it plans to finance the purchase with common equity and debt financing. It expects the aircraft to be bought in a series of closings between this month and February of 2009. It anticipates closing on the purchase of 28 of the 38 aircraft in 2007. Aircastle also said it's boosted the capacity of its senior secured warehouse facility to $1.25 billion and its senior secured revolving credit facility to $450 million.
A.O. Smith Corp. (NYSE:
AOS -
News), a manufacturer or water-heating equipment, said fourth-quarter net income rose 18% to $18.9 million, or 61 cents a share, from $16 million, or 52 cents a share, a year earlier, partly helped by lower tax costs. Earnings from continuing operations came in at 62 cents a share compared to 52 cents a share. Sales climbed 25% to $543.6 million. The company sees 2007 earnings in the range of $2.75 to $2.85 a share.
Arotech (NASDAQ:
ARTX -
News) shares rose after the company said its Simulation and Training unit recently received more than $2.8 million in contract awards for weapon simulation products.
Shares of AT&T (NYSE:
T -
News) edged higher after Merrill Lynch upgraded the telecommunications services company to buy from neutral, citing the belief that the revenue environment for the company, and the telecommunications industry in general, is improving, which should also boost valuations. Analyst David Janazzo raised his earnings estimate for 2007 to $2.65 a share from $2.60 and for 2008 to $3 a share from $2.89, and his average revenue per unit growth forecast for its Cingular wireless unit to 1% from zero.
Avalon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:
AVRX -
News) said it's reached terms to raise about $10 million through a private placement. The company has agreed to sell three million common shares for $3.34 each to institutional investors.
Bebe Stores (NASDAQ:
BEBE -
News) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen & Co. The firm cited valuation for the move.
Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ:
CECO -
News) shares rose after the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company said it has been notified by the Department of Education that it has lifted restrictions imposed in June of 2005 that had "prevented the company from domestic acquisitions of schools and had restricted its ability to open additional domestic campuses." "We will be carefully and selectively evaluating other expansion opportunities and look forward to pursuing those opportunities in cooperation with the department," said Robert Dowdell, interim chairman and chief executive, in a statement.
Chelsea Therapeutics (NASDAQ:
CHTP -
News) said it's received orphan drug designation for Droxidopa, its candidate for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in patients with primary autonomic failure, from the Food and Drug Administration. The company plans to conduct a phase III trial of Droxidopa in the U.S. and Europe in the second half of 2007.
E-Future Information Technology (NASDAQ:
EFUT -
News) shares jumped after the Beijing-based software company announced a new contract with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:
JNJ -
News) to provide supply chain management software in China. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
ElkCorp (NYSE:
ELK -
News) said the Carlyle Group has lifted its tender offer to acquire the company to $42 per share in cash from a prior proposal of $40.50 per share. The parties have amended their merger agreement to reflect the higher tender offer, which began on Jan. 18 and will expire on Feb. 14. ElkCorp said the $42 per share offer is worth a total of roughly $1.1 billion, including the assumption of about $173 million in debt.
Futuremedia plc (NASDAQ:
FMDAD -
News) shares jumped after the company regained compliance with the listing requirements for the Nasdaq exchange.
Halliburton (NYSE:
HAL -
News) agreed to acquire Ultraline Services Corp. from Energy Services Corp. for $177 million. Halliburton, based in Houston, said Ultraline provides wireline services in Canada. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Hanger Orthopedic (NYSE:
HGR -
News) shares leapt after the company was upgraded to overweight at Lehman Bros.
Hoku Scientific (NASDAQ:
HOKU -
News) shares soared after the company said its materials unit has signed a deal to pay up to 21 million euros to Graeber Engineering Consultants and MSA Appartus Construction for polysilicon reactors. Hoku said the deal is for the purchase and sale of hydrogen reduction reactors and hydrogenation reactors used in the production of polysilicon, and related engineering and installation services.
Hospira (NYSE:
HSP -
News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Merrill Lynch.
IPG Photonics Corp. (NASDAQ:
IPGP -
News) rose as a number of analyst firms began coverage of the company. Lehman Bros. started with an equal-weight rating and a $25 price target, Needham & Co. began with a buy rating and a $30 price target, Merrill Lynch opened up with a buy rating and $32 price target, and Thomas Weisel Partners started its coverage at overweight.
Johnson Controls' (NYSE:
JCI -
News) shares got a lift after Banc of America Securities lifted its price target on the stock to $110 from $91.
Kohlberg Capital Corp. (NASDAQ:
KCAP -
News) was initiated with an overweight rating at Lehman Bros. The firm set a $20 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus also started coverage of the company with a buy rating and a $19 price target.
Lodgian Inc. (AMEX:
LGN -
News) has hired Goldman Sachs and Genesis Capital LLC to explore "strategic alternatives" for the hotel company. Lodgian, Atlanta, manages a portfolio of 69 hotels in 28 states and Canada.
Novell (NASDAQ:
NOVL -
News) shares surged after the company was upgraded to buy from neutral at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. Analyst Terry Tillman cited anticipated revenue growth for Novell stemming from the company's open-source software distribution agreement with Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:
MSFT -
News). Under that agreement, Microsoft is obligated to distribute coupons to corporate customers that can be used to acquire and run Novell's open-source software simultaneously with Microsoft products. Shares of Novell were up nearly 1% in early trading Monday.
Omni Energy Services Corp. (NASDAQ:
OMNI -
News) agreed to acquire BMJ Industrial Investments LLC and its Charles Holston Inc. subsidiary for $23 million, including $18 million in cash and $5 million in three-year, 5% convertible promissory notes, convertible at $9.24 per share. Carencro, La.-based Omni, a provider of drilling and environmental services to the oil and gas industry, expects the deal to have an "immediate positive impact" on its operations and profitability. For 2006, the businesses being acquired had revenue approaching $30 million, and pro forma earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of more than $5 million, Omni said.
SigmaTel (NASDAQ:
SGTL -
News) shares rose after the Austin, Texas-based semiconductor company said its SGTV5800 TV audio chip has been adopted by Samsung Electronics . Samsung televisions with SigmaTel audio technology are expected to begin shipping during the first quarter of 2007. "We are thankful for our design win at Samsung; collaborating with the largest television manufacturer is a great opportunity for SigmaTel's TV audio product line," said Phil Pompa, SigmaTel's interim chief executive, in a statement.
SteelCloud (NASDAQ:
SCLD -
News) shares surged after the company received an order worth an estimated $500,000 from an undisclosed "major federal integrator." The company said the deal calls for it to provide servers for deployment in harsh industrial environments.
Swift Transportation (NASDAQ:
SWFT -
News) entered into a definitive merger agreement with an entity formed by Jerry Moyes, the company's largest shareholder, a current director, and former chairman of the board and CEO of Swift, to be acquired by Moyes and certain of his family members in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $2.74 billion, including the assumption of approximately $332 million of net debt.
Published by Michael Baron at MarketWatch
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