Month: September 2011

Roche Holdings Ltd. ( RHHBY ) announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended the approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with standard chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel), as a front-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. The final decision from the European Commission is expected later in 2011 […]

Tetra Tech Inc . ( TTEK ) recently entered into an agreement to acquire Department of State consulting firm PRO-telligent, LLC, a provider of varity of technical support services principally to the U.S. Department of State (DOS) at locations in different parts of the world […]

According to a Bloomberg report, AT&T Inc. ( T ) is seeking to sell some assets or spectrums to rival companies in order to salvage its ambitious $39 billion purchase of Deutsche Telekom’s unit, T-Mobile USA. […]

Following second quarter 2011 earnings, Fred’s, Inc. ( FRED ) has been downgraded to Underperform from Neutral. Fred posted adjusted earnings of 13 cents per share in second-quarter 2011, which lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 14 cents per share following management’s expectations of a tough retail conditions to continue across the markets in 2011. […]

Rent-A-Center Inc . ( RCII ), in an attempt to expand its operational roots, is all set to serve the residents of Columbia, Missouri and Aston, Pennsylvania by opening new stores and providing them additional avenue to own luxury furnishings, electrical devices, electronics and computers. The new 3,500-square-foot showroom in Columbia and the 3,200-square-foot showroom in Aston will offer brands like HP ( HPQ ), Ashley, Sony ( SNY ), Serta and Whirlpool ( WHR ) […]

In July, home prices were mixed on a seasonally adjusted basis. The Case-Schiller Composite 10 City index (C-10) fell a slight 0.12% on a seasonally adjusted basis, and is down 3.77% from a year ago. […]

Oncology and X-Ray products company, Varian Medical Systems ( VAR ) recently revealed that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire Calypso Medical Technologies, a privately held, Seattle-based producer and supplier of offerings for timely tracking and motion management of tumors during radiotherapy and radiosurgery. As per the terms of the deal, which is expected to close in early October 2011 dependent upon fulfillment of closing clauses, Varian will pay about $10 million to acquire Calypso. In addition, it may incur possible earn-outs dependent on the level of sales of Calypso offerings during the upcoming 2.5 years. […]

We have downgraded our rating on mining equipment manufacturer and service provider Joy Global Inc. ( JOYG ) from Outperform to Neutral. Joy Global's exposure to the wide international market accounted for more than 50% of its total revenues in the three preceding financial years. […]

Leading diagnostic test solutions provider Quidel Corporation ( QDEL ) has won the European CE Mark for its new virus test, representing another key milestone for the California-based company. The test dubbed the “Quidel Molecular hMPV Real-Time RT-PCR Assay” has been designed for the detection of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infection. Identified in 2001 by investigators from the Netherlands, hMPV is the second most common cause (after respiratory syncytial virus/RSV) of upper and lower respiratory infection in young children […]

Senior Housing Properties Trust ( SNH ), a real estate investment trust (REIT) which primarily owns private pay senior living communities and medical office buildings (MOBs) across the U.S., has recently announced its decision to acquire a portfolio of 13 MOBs across 8 states for $167 million. Senior Housing Properties will purchase the assets from CommonWealth REIT ( CWH ) – its erstwhile parent company. […]