(Updates to after the open, adds Pfizer, Hartford,
Paychex)
NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks to watch on
Friday:
BLACKROCK INC (BLK.N)
The company has agreed to buy Barclays Global Investors in
a $13.5 billion deal. [ID:nLC391915]
Shares of BlackRock fell 4.2 percent to $174.64 while
Barclays ADRs slid 3.3 percent to $19.24.
RAMBUS INC (RMBS.O)
The chip designer agreed to cut its royalties in order to
settle charges brought by the European Commission, according to
the European Union Official Journal. [ID:nLC53738]
Shares soared 15 percent to $17.40.
PFIZER (PFE.N)
The company's experimental oral drug could prove a cheaper
and more convenient alternative to costly anti-TNF biotech
treatments, medical experts said. [ID:nLB807537]
Shares of the Dow component rose 0.8 percent to $14.76.
HARTFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP INC (HIG.N)
Shares of the insurance company fell 4.8 percent to $13.40
after it said it would take $3.4 billion of federal bailout
money. It also plans to sell as much as $750 million of common
stock. [ID:nN12541266]
CATERPILLAR INC (CAT.N)
Goldman Sachs removed the company from its conviction sell
list, saying an expectation for higher oil prices "reduces
downside risk for Caterpillar's mining and oil & gas
business."
Shares of the Dow component edged 0.8 percent lower to
$37.32.
PAYCHEX INC (PAYX.O)
Shares of Paychex fell 2.1 percent to $27.72 Goldman Sachs
added the company to its Americas Conviction Sell list.
"Into fiscal year 2010 we expect Paychex shares to
underperform given continued pressure from limited new sales,
declining checks-per-client, increased client attrition, and
limited pricing leverage," the firm wrote.
LEGG MASON INC (LM.N)
A unit of the money manager, along with bond company
Pacific Investment Management Co and billionaire Gerald J.
Ford, are looking at ways to buy up banks' toxic loans,
according to a report in the New York Post. [ID:nBNG399435]
Shares of Legg Mason fell 3 percent to $23.50.
MICROSOFT CORP (MSFT.O)
The software company plans to ship the newest version of
its Windows operating system in Europe without its Internet
Explorer web browser, countering pressure from European
regulators. [ID:nN11506625]
Shares of the Dow component rose 0.4 percent to $22.91.
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC (AIG.N)
The insurer promised to repay taxpayers with any funds won
at a trial with Starr International, a company controlled by
former CEO Maurice Greenberg. [ID:nN11525054]
Shares were flat at $1.61.
HOKU SCIENTIFIC INC (HOKU.O)
The company reported a narrower fourth-quarter loss but
said it may not be able to continue as a going concern over the
next 12 months. [ID:nBNG449926]
The stock sank 20 percent to $3.47.
ARCSIGHT INC (ARST.O)
The provider of security and compliance management software
posted a quarterly profit that topped market estimates but
forecast a weak first quarter. [ID:nBNG326300]
Shares fell 3.3 percent to $17.41.
IMMUNOGEN INC (IMGN.O)
The drugmaker is discontinuing further internal development
of its experimental gastric-cancer drug, IMGN242, citing slow
progress. [ID:nBNG344807]
Shares sank 1.7 percent to $8.11.
EZCORP INC (EZPW.O)
The pawn and payday lender cut its full-year profit
outlook, citing lower-than-expected demand for its loan
products and previously owned merchandise in the United States.
[ID:nBNG350286]
Shares fell 12 percent to $11.32.
(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica)
