Sapient Agrees to $7.3 B Buyout, Lab Corp Acquires Covance

Mukesh Buch
03 Nov, 2014
New York City

American Honda October sales climbed 6%. Chrysler sales surged 22% as jeep and truck sales climbed. Ford sales dropped 2% while GM sales edged up 0.2%. Loews profit plunged 26%. Nissan sales soared 13%. Sysco net fell 2%. Sapient surged after Publicis agreed to buy the company for $3.7 billion.

[R]11:45 AM New York – American Honda October sales climbed 6%. Chrysler sales surged 22% as jeep and truck sales climbed. Ford sales dropped 2% while GM sales edged up 0.2%. Loews profit plunged 26%. Nissan sales soared 13%. Sysco net fell 2%. Sapient surged after Publicis agreed to buy the company for $3.7 billion.[/R]

Tollbooth Index rose 0.05% or 5.12 to 9,632.92.

Earnings Review

American Honda Motor Co., Inc, the cars, trucks, motorcycles, jets, engines produces reported sales in October climbed 5.8% to 121,172 units.

Accord mid-size sedan model sales jumped 7.8% while Acura, the MDX three-row crossover SUVdeclined 5.1% and RDX crossover dropped 4.7%. Odyssey minivan plunged 7.8% and Pilot SUV tumbled 14.1%. Civic compact sedan plummeted 11.6%.

Church & Dwight Co., Inc ((CHD)) gained 59 cents to $73 after the household, personal care products maker said net sales in the third-quarter ending in September jumped 4.6% to $841.8 million from a year ago period.

Net income in the quarter climbed 7.4% to $115.9 million or 85 cents a diluted share compared to $107.9 million or 76 cents from a same quarter last year.

Chrysler Group LLC, the automaker said October sales surged 21.7% the best October sales since 2001.

Jeep sales climbed 51.7% and Ram truck sales jumped 35.9% from the same period a year ago.

Ford Motor Co ((F)) fell 12 cents to $13.97 after the car and truck manufacturer reported sales in October dropped 2% to 188,654 vehicles but F-Series pickup truck, the best-selling models in the U. S., sold more than 63,000 in the month

General Motors Company ((GM)) slipped 1% or 32 cents to $31.10 after the largest automaker said sales in October edged up 0.2% to 226,819 vehicles from 226,402 units in the same month a year ago.

Chevrolet Silverado sale climbed 10% to 46,966 units and average transaction prices in the month reached to a record $34,700.

Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P jumped 2% or 73 cents to $36.80 after the oil and gas transportation and storage company stated revenue in the third-quarter ending in September climbed 8.4% to $1.94 billion from a year ago period.

Net loss in the quarter narrowed to $14.5 million or 4 cents a diluted share compared to $17.6 million or 5 cents from a same quarter last year.

Loews Corporation ((L)) fell 24 cents to $43.36 after the property and casualty insurance company reported total revenue in the third-quarter ending in September dropped 2.2% to $3.52 billion from a year ago period.

Net income in the quarter plunged 26.2% to $208 million or 55 cents a diluted share compared to $282 million or 73 cents from a same quarter last year.

Loews said revenues from CNA Financial segment surged $37 million from $2 million

Nissan Motor Co said October sales soared 13.3% to 103,117 units, driven by a 14.9% increase in the namesake brand to 94,072 units. However, Infiniti luxury brand sales declined 1.2% to 9,045.

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings ((LH)) declined 7.2% or $7.90 to $101.39 after the clinical laboratory service provider agreed to buy Covance Inc. in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $5.94 billion.

The deal is expected to close in the first-quarter of 2015.

Shares of Covance surged 25.4% to $100.21.

Sysco Corporation ((SYY)) declined 2.7% or $1.06 to $37.48 after the food services provider reported sales in the first-quarter ending on September 27 soared 6.2% to $12.4 billion from a year ago period.

Net earnings in the quarter fell 2.4% to $278.8 million or 47 cents a diluted share compared to $285.6 million or 48 cents from a same quarter last year.

Sapient Corporation ((SAPE)) surged 42% or $7.28 to $24.60 after the France-based advertising company Publicis Groupe SA agreed to acquire for $3.7 billion or $25 per share in cash.

The transaction is expected to complete in the first-quarter of 2015.