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Stocks to watch Thursday: UTC, Barnes & Noble

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Among the stocks that could see active trade in Thursday's session are United Technologies Corp., Barnes & Noble Inc. and Korn/Ferry International.

Pier 1 Imports Inc. (PIR) , Kroger Co. (KR) , Smithfield Foods Inc. (SFD) , School Specialty Inc. (SCHS) , Lakeland Industries Inc. (LAKE) , Winnebago Industries Inc. (WGO) , Medical Action Industries Inc. (MDCI) , National Technical Systems Inc. (NTSC) and Spartech Corp. (SEH) are the main companies on deck to report quarterly financial results on Thursday.

The board of United Technologies (UTX) approved an 11.5% increase in the blue-chip conglomerate's quarterly dividend on common stock, to 53.5 cents a share. It's payable Sept. 10 to stockholders of record as of Aug. 17, the Hartford, Conn.-based company said.

Also late Wednesday, the board of C.R. Bard Inc. (BCR) took steps on two fronts to return capital to stockholders. The directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of the common stock, on top of about $88 million remaining under the Murray Hill, N.J.-based company's June 2010 authorization. Buybacks will be made from time to time in the open market or via privately negotiated transactions. Separately, the board voted a 5% increase in C.R. Bard's quarterly dividend to 20 cents per common share. The new dividend's payable Aug. 3 to holders of record as of July 23.

The board of Culp Inc. (CFI) approved the initiation of a dividend, the High Point, N.C.-based company said. Culp anticipates declaring dividends on a quarterly basis, with expected payment dates in October, January, April and July. The first dividend, in the amount of 3 cents a share, will be paid or about July 16 to holders of record as of July 2. In addition, Culp's board authorized the company to buy back up to $5 million of common stock, replacing a previous $7 million authorization that the company said had $1.6 million remaining as of the end of April. Repurchases made during the fiscal year ended April 29 equated to 4.7% of Culp shares outstanding when the program began in June 2011. The moves came as Culp, a marketer of mattress fabrics, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2012 and as management issued a profit and sales forecast for the first quarter of fiscal 2013.

More than $29 million will be paid to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of shareholders of Barnes & Noble (BKS) , according to a pair of law firms that specialize in securities class actions. Grant & Eisenhofer PA, Wilmington, Del., and Chimicles & Tikellis LLP, Haverford, Pa., reached the settlement with Leonard Riggio, founder of New York-based Barnes & Noble and its controlling shareholder. The settlement grew out of a 2009 suit filed over accusations that the company's acquisition of textbook retailer Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Inc., which Riggio and his wife owned, was overpriced. Terms call for a reduction of nearly $22.8 million in the purchase price of a $150 million promissory note, with the balance representing a reduction in interest payments due on the note.

Along with reporting results for the fourth quarter ended April 30, Korn/Ferry (KFY) issued a sober short-term forecast, saying "uncertainty and challenges facing the global economy and financial markets" make it "particularly difficult" to project business results for the Los Angeles-based recruiting firm. For the first quarter of fiscal 2013, management pegged earnings in a range of 14 cents to 22 cents a share, with likely fee revenue of $172 million to $188 million. Fee revenue, which accounts for the bulk of Korn/Ferry's top line, amounted to $198.1 million in the April quarter, up less than 1% from the prior year, as the company posted a net profit of 25 cents a share.

Aegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AEGR) announced plans for a secondary public offering of common stock under a shelf registration declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Proceeds from the sale of an as-yet unspecified number of shares would go to Cambridge, Mass.-based Aegerion.