Monday's biggest gaining and declining stocks
6/25/12 4:44 PM ET (MarketWatch)
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Below are some of the most active stocks in the U.S. trading session on Monday:
Gainers
Alexza Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXA) picked up another 16% Monday on the heels of Friday's 45% rally, which came on news that it has resubmitted its U.S. market application for its psychiatric medication Adasuve.
Constellation Brands(STZ) rose almost 13%, following reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) is close to a complete takeover of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo. The bid for the 50% of Modelo that InBev doesn't own is pegged at about $12 billion. Constellation currently distributes Corona and other imported beers in the U.S. via a joint venture with Modelo.
Restaurant chain J. Alexander's Corp. (JAX) surged 17% after it said it has agreed to a $72 million acquisition by Fidelity National Financial Inc. (FNF) , which will merge the company with American Blue Ribbon Holdings, a newly formed, majority-owned subsidiary.
Medgenics Inc. (MDGN) rose 12%. The stock got a lift last week when its Biopump treatment for hepatitis D received orphan-drug status. The stock's up 86% over the past month, more than doubling since the beginning of the second quarter.
Quest Software Inc. (QSFT) rose 5.6%. The company disclosed a $2.32 billion buyout bid from an unnamed third party, widely reported to be Dell Inc. (DELL) , that topped a previous private-equity offer of $2.17 billion from Insight Venture Partners and Vector Capital.
U.S.-listed shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) rose 4.5%. The company said a federal court had validated its patents for the multiple-sclerosis drug Copaxone and found that purported generic versions by Mylan Inc. (MYL) and Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MNTA) infringe those patents. Momenta's shares fell more than 22% on Monday.
Decliners
GeoEye Inc. (GEOY) fell 24%. Benchmark Co. analysts downgraded the company early Monday after the National Security Agency decided to exercise only a three-month contract with the firm and canceled a planned further project with it.
Kirby Corp. (KEX) traded down 11% after it lowered profit forecasts for the second quarter and 2012, reflecting a combination of factors including weakness in the production of hydraulic shale-fracturing units.
U.S.-listed shares of Nokia Corp. (NOK) fell 8%. Analysts at Nomura Securities cut their target price to 2 euros from €3.20 previously and revised lower earnings estimates for 2012-2014. The analysts cited a lackluster feature-phone strategy, as a major Windows Phone update won't be available on Nokia's current crop of handsets.
Old Republic International Corp. (ORI) shed 10% after the company said it has decided not to spin off its Republic Financial Indemnity unit, in response to shareholder concerns.
Pioneer Drilling Co. (PDC) lost almost 12% after the company said its second-quarter results would be hurt by weak demand and low prices for oil and natural gas.
U.S.-listed shares of Shire PLC(SHPGY) fell 9.5%. Barclays analysts cut the firm's price target after the Food and Drug Administration approved a generic version of the extended-release formulation of Shire's Adderall, a treatment for hyperactivity.
Ventrus Biosciences shares (VTUS) fell 59% after the company said the treatment iferanserin failed to show positive results.