International stocks trading in New York closed mixed on Wednesday, with the Bank of New York index of American depositary receipts slipping 0.2% to 155.17. The European index declined 0.3% to 150.71, the Asian index fell 0.2% to 154.34, the Latin American index added 0.5% to 308.78 and the emerging markets index edged up 0.1% to 312.40. Among the companies with shares that actively traded were Luxottica SpA (LUX, LUX.MI) and JA Solar Holding Co. (JASO).

The world's largest eyewear company, Luxottica, which owns brands including Ray-Ban and Oakley, saw its shares fall amid speculation that Chief Executive Andrea Guerra could be about to leave his position after 10 years with the Italian firm. Luxottica said it doesn't comment on media speculation, but acknowledged that Chairman Leonardo Del Vecchio and Mr. Guerra "have been debating the best strategic direction for the group" for some time. Shares fell 4.2% to $51.79.

JA Solar said raising sales of solar panels made it profitable in the second quarter, but the Chinese solar-panel maker's results still missed analysts' expectations, sending shares lower. Shares dropped 6.3% to $9.36.

U.S. generic drugs company Mylan Inc. (MYL), private equity groups TPG Capital LLP, Advent International, KKR & Co. L.P., and Warburg Pincus LLC, and some Indian drug makers have made it through to the second round of bidding for a portfolio of mature drugs being sold by GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK, GSK.LN), according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the sales process. Glaxo shares rose 1% to $47.81.

BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) said that it hired David Lawler, an executive with U.S. independent petroleum producer Sandridge Energy Inc., to run a separate business unit it is creating for the U.S.'s lower 48 states. The move is part of BP's plan to restructure its shale-focused U.S. assets in response to the difficulties that it and other big oil companies have had profiting from the shale boom in the country. Shares edged down 0.2% to $48.19.

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

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

BP (NYSE:BP)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024 Click Here for more BP Charts.
BP (NYSE:BP)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024 Click Here for more BP Charts.