Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in
Monday's session are Sigma-Aldrich Corp. (SIAL), Apple Inc. (AAPL)
and Clorox Co. (CLX).
German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA (MKGAY, MRK.XE) on
Monday said it would acquire Sigma-Aldrich for $17 billion to
strengthen its position in the life-science industry.
Sigma-Aldrich's shares jumped 34.6% to $137.82 in premarket
trading.
Apple said it sold more than 10 million of its new iPhone 6 and
iPhone 6 Plus devices during the first weekend of sales, a new high
for the company even though the devices have yet to go on sale in
China. Shares edged up 0.9% to $101.81 premarket.
Clorox said it is exiting Venezuela as that country's economic
troubles make it increasingly difficult for international firms to
operate there. The company also reaffirmed its fiscal 2015
guidance. Shares gained 5.8% to $95.80 premarket.
RadioShack Corp. (RSH) said Monday it has talked with a major
vendor about potential changes to its commercial arrangement that
could benefit a financial restructuring of the electronics
retailer. Shares rose 7% to 97 cents premarket.
TriMas Corp. (TRS) reduced its full-year outlook for earnings
per share by about 14%, while seeing revenue growth at the lower
end of prior expectations. The company also agreed to acquire
Allfast Fastening Systems Inc. for about $360 million. Shares fell
4.3% to $28.28 premarket.
AutoZone Inc. (AZO) said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit inched
up while margins expanded, although sales declined because of fewer
sales days during the period. Shares fell 1.2% to $520
premarket.
As underwriters unexpectedly were able to sell the overallotment
as part of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s (BABA) initial public
offering, that means the company's market cap is $2.45 billion more
than it was at Friday's close, putting it at $233.9 billion at
Monday's market open. The IPO's proceeds were a record-breaking
$25.03 billion. Shares were down 1% to $92.92 premarket.
Workers at five German Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) logistics centers
have walked out in a two-day strike to support demands for a
collective wage agreement, the Verdi labor union said.
Tesco PLC (TSCDY, TSCO.LN) suspended four senior executives and
called in outside auditors and legal counsel to investigate the
$408.8 million overstatement of the U.K. supermarket operator's
first-half profit.
German engineering company Siemens AG (SIE.XE, SIEGY) on Sunday
announced a deal to acquire U.S. oil-equipment maker Dresser-Rand
Group Inc. (DRC) for $7.6 billion. The Houston-based company is
fetching $83 a share, in cash.
Watchlist:
Data-storage giant EMC Corp. (EMC), under pressure from
shareholder activist Elliott Management Corp. and faced with the
expected retirement of its longtime chief executive, is considering
options that could include a merger deal with a rival, according to
people familiar with the matter.
American Airlines Group Inc. (AAI) said it has reached a
tentative agreement on a collective bargaining agreement for more
than 24,000 of its flight attendants.
Dollar General Corp. (DG) began actively soliciting votes
against a deal that would unite its two main rivals, ratcheting up
its effort to acquire Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO). The move was
disclosed in a securities filing Friday. Family Dollar's board has
repeatedly spurned Dollar General in favor of a sale to Dollar Tree
Inc. (DLTR).
Barron's Watchlist:
Starting next year, Bank of America Corp. (BAC) investors will
get a glimpse of two things they haven't seen in years: a fairly
clean income statement and a decent dividend, Barron's said in a
recent report. By 2017, earnings per share could hit $2, versus an
estimated 75 cents this year. More important, shareholders by then
will have seen a string of steady increases in earnings and
dividend payments, the report said.
Write to Tom Rojas at tom.rojas@wsj.com and Josh Beckerman at
josh.beckerman@wsj.com
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