HEADLINE STOCKS-U.S. stocks to watch on Feb. 27

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks to watch on
Friday:

CITIGROUP
The U.S. government will commit to holding a common equity
stake of up to 30 percent to 40 percent in Citigroup , a
source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The deal will
result in most of the company's board getting replaced, the
source said.
The cornerstone of the deal is the conversion of up to $25
billion in government-held preferred shares in the bank to
common equity, according to the source. The move is designed to
bolster the capital base of the troubled bank. [nN27210042]
Shares of Citigroup, a Dow component, tumbled 19 percent to
$2 in premarket trade.

DELL INC
The company company forecast a decline in its Asia revenue,
hurt by the global slowdown and heated competition, said Steve
Felice, Dell's regional head of small and medium businesses,
though he added that the computer company still expects to pick
up share in the PC markets in China and India. [nTP205658]
Shares of Dell closed Thursday at $8.21.

GENERAL MOTORS
The management at General Motors's Opel subsidiary
in Germany will present its supervisory board with a
restructuring plan on Friday, in an attempt to combat the
impact of the worst market in decades. The plan is expected to
cost thousands of jobs and possibly the closure of one or more
plants.
The restructuring comes as Opel is looking for the state to
guarantee $3.3 billion in loans. [nLR351268]
Shares of GM, a Dow component, closed Thursday at $2.38.

CV THERAPEUTICS
Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma launched a hostile $1
billion bid for CV Therapeutics after the company rejected
Astellas's buyout offer.
"While we continue to prefer to reach a negotiated
agreement with CV Therapeutics' Board, their refusal to engage
with us regarding our proposal has left us with no alternative
but to take out offer directly to CV Therapeutics's
stockholders," Astellas said. [nBNG463895]
Shares of CV closed Thursday at $15.86.

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS
RBC Capital Markets on Friday upgraded Verizon
Communications to outperform from sector perform, and
raised its price target on the company to $34 from $30. The
firm cited Verizon's free cash flow yield and growth rate, "as
well as the potential for increased forward estimates based on
operating and/or interest savings related to the Alltel
transaction."
The firm also raised its risk rating on the company to
above average from average, seeing an increasingly competitive
wireless pricing landscape.
Shares of Verizon closed Thursday at $28.48.

ERESEARCHTECHNOLOGY INC
Eresearchtechnology Inc posted lower-than-expected
quarterly profit, and forecast weak 2009 outlook, hurt by
decline in its thorough QT business.
Shares of the company closed at $6.45 Thursday on Nasdaq.
They fell 26.36 percent after market close to $4.75.

OMNIVISION TECHNOLOGIES INC
OmniVision Technologies Inc posted a third-quarter
loss, hurt by slowing demand, and sees fourth-quarter results
below Wall Street targets, sending its shares down as much as
18 percent in after-hours trade. [nBNG453021]
Shares of the company closed at $7.10 Thursday on Nasdaq.
They fell 16.76 percent after market close to $5.91.

DECKERS OUTDOOR CORP
Footwear maker Deckers Outdoor Corp posted a
higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, helped by higher
sales of its premium UGG brand, but forecast 2009 profit below
market estimates, citing higher marketing and stock
compensation expenses. [nBNG448541]
Shares of the company closed at $52.99 Thursday on Nasdaq.
They fell 9.81 percent after market close to $47.79.

THERAVANCE INC
Theravance Inc said the U.S. health regulators
asked for more study data, label revisions and safety update on
its experimental antibiotic for serious skin infections.
[nBNG449772]
Shares of the company closed at $13.13 Thursday on Nasdaq.
They fell 8.61 percent after market close to $12.

LKQ CORP
Automobile-parts recycler LKQ Corp posted
lower-than-expected quarterly results, and said the weak
economy would likely dampen its near-term growth rates. [ID:
nBNG426957]
Shares of the company closed at $11.99 Thursday on Nasdaq.
They fell 5.85 percent after market close to $11.29.

PETROHAWK ENERGY CORP
Oil and gas producer Petrohawk Energy Corp said it
filed with the U.S. regulator to issue up to 22 million shares.
[nBNG451924]
Petrohawk shares were down 7 percent at $17.40 in trading
after the bell. They had earlier closed at $18.60 Thursday on
Nasdaq.

((ryan.vlastelica@thomsonreuters.com; + 1 646-223-6014;
Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica@reuters.com@reuters.net))

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