International stocks trading in New York closed mixed on Thursday, with the Bank of New York index of American depositary receipts adding 0.1% to 152.22. The European index rose 0.1% to 152.81, the Asian index fell 0.3% to 141.45, the Latin American index gained 0.8% to 287.14 and the emerging-markets index rose 0.3% to 278.43. Among the companies with shares that actively traded were Unilever PLC (UL, ULVR.LN) and AstraZeneca PLC (AZN, AZN.LN).

Unilever said it would raise prices in emerging markets across its range of consumer goods and food products as it attempts to tackle currency weakness amid falling sales. The consumer-products company on Thursday reported a decline in first-quarter sales as currency weakness across emerging markets continued to weigh on its performance. Shares fell 1.3% to $43.61.

AstraZeneca's profit fell sharply in the first quarter, dented by generic competition to its drugs, higher research, development and sales expenses, and foreign-exchange movements. Shares in the U.K. drug maker have risen this week after rumors emerged over the weekend of a takeover approach from Pfizer Inc. AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot declined to comment Thursday on takeover speculation. People familiar with the matter have told The Wall Street Journal that there are no talks or negotiations currently going on between the two companies. AstraZeneca's shares rose 1.8% to $69.01.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNP, 600028.SH, 0386.HK), China's largest oil refiner, said it appointed banks to handle the sale of part of its retail assets, which include thousands of gas stations and convenience stores. Shares fell 0.9% to $91.40.

Novartis AG (NVS, NOVN.VX) reported a more-than-20% jump in first-quarter earnings, as the Swiss pharmaceutical company provided clues as to how it will wring profit from a major overhaul of its sprawling operations announced earlier this week. Basel-based Novartis said it is forming a "shared-services organization" that will consolidate support functions that are currently spread throughout the company, which operates in 140 countries. Shares fell 1.8% to $84.59.

Banco Bradesco SA (BBD, BBDO, BBDC4.BR), one of Brazil's largest banks in terms of assets, expects to accelerate its credit expansion this year, after a relatively tepid performance in the first quarter. The company posted better-than-expected net profit, but its total credit portfolio expanded just 10.4% in the period. Shares rose 1.8% to $15.12.

Barclays PLC (BCS, BARC.LN) directors said Thursday that rivals are picking off the bank's top staff because it can't compete on pay. The claim was made at an unruly annual meeting of the bank's shareholders, during which one of the lender's biggest shareholders delivered an unusual public reprimand on remuneration. The company also said that a continuing slowdown in fixed-income trading would push adjusted first-quarter profit lower than in the same quarter last year. The caution came in a brief trading update issued before the annual shareholder meeting. Shares rose 0.7% to $16.93.

China's state-run oil producer Cnooc Ltd. (CEO, 0883.HK) said the chief executive of its Canadian-based unit Nexen Energy is being succeeded by a veteran Chinese-national engineer with 30 years of experience in the industry, but that it doesn't plan to change company strategy. Shares fell 0.6% to $162.44.

State-controlled PetroChina Co. (PTR, 0857.HK, 601857.SH, K3OD.SG), China's largest oil company by production capacity, on Thursday said its first-quarter net profit fell 4.9% from a year earlier, due mainly to rising costs and a decline in international crude prices. Shares fell 0.5% to $112.45.

Unable to solve a tax dispute with Indian authorities, Nokia Corp. (NOK, NOK1V.HE) on Thursday said it is unlikely that it would be able to include a large phone plant in India in a wider deal to transfer its phone business to Microsoft Corp. (MSFT). Shares of Nokia were flat at $7.30.

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LYG, LLOY.LN) has appointed Nick Prettejohn as a nonexecutive director of the lender and as chairman of its Scottish Widows subsidiary. The 24.9% government-owned bank added that Mr. Prettejohn, who will join the group on June 23, also will serve as a member of the bank's audit and risk committees. Shares edged up 0.2% to $5.11.

Write to Anna Prior at anna.prior@wsj.com

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