Specialized Consumer Services

Funeral products maker Hillenbrand Inc (NYSE: HI) has agreed to acquire K-Tron International Inc (NASDAQ: KTII) in a $150 a share cash deal. KTII is a maker of manufacturing process equipment. HI-KTII deal is worth about $426 million and reflects a 32.1% premium to K-Tron International's Friday...

Abbott’s (ABT) XIENCE V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System recently received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Abbott is looking to launch the product shortly.   In our opinion, the launch of XIENCE V...

Steiner Leisure Ltd. (NYSE: STNR) has purchased the Bliss World Unit from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) for $100 million as previously announced on November 2, 2009. The Bliss and Remede spas will remain exclusive to W Hotels and St. Regis Hotels. Ashford Hospitality Trust (...

• STEC (NASDAQ:STEC) shares moved higher for the tenth session, gaining on takeover speculation. Moreover, Broadpoint AmTech posted a "buy" rating on the shares with a $23 price target. • Broadcom (NASDAQ:BRCM) agreed to a $160.5 million proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit concerning the...

Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF) was today upgraded by Keefe, Bruyette and Woods from Market Perform to Outperform and price target set to $30. Jefferies Group is now trading at $5.51, 0.73% up in the pre-market session. So far in 2009, JEF gained over 225%. CTC Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTCM) was...

Analysts at UBS maintain their "buy" rating on HR Block Inc (NYSE: HRB). The target price for HRB is set to $30. According to UBS, HR Block is expected to benefit from the uncertainty surrounding its major competitor, Jackson Hewitt (JTX). Pacific Capital Bancorp (PCBC), which provided 75% of JTX’s...

Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch have given a Buy rating to Stewart Enterprises (NASDAQ: STEI). The analysts have set a price target of $6.50 for Stewart Enterprises. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has adjusted the FY2010 and the FY2011 GAAP EPS estimates to reflect the change in...

Coinstar Money Transfer Ltd., a subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR), announced an agreement to offer money transfer services in all Pocztowy Bank (Postal Bank) locations. Postal Bank is the largest banking network in Poland, one of the top five recipient countries in the world. With this...

Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) is expected to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 20 cents a share on revenue of $3.20 billion. Thursday, CCL closed at $33.36. CarMax, Inc (NYSE: KMX) is projected to report fiscal third-quarter earnings of 16 cents a share on $1.66 billion of revenues. In...

Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ)(FREE stock trend analysis) was today upgraded by Feltl & Co. from Hold to Buy and price target set to $10. Domino's Pizza is now trading at $7.67, 0.13% up in the morning trading hours. Papa John's Int'l, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA)(FREE stock trend analysis) has...

NCR Corp. (NYSE: NCR), the maker of ATM machines and cash registers, will reportedly acquire DVD kiosk operator DVDPlay. Georgia-based NCR will convert the DVDPlay's 1,300 kiosks to the Blockbuster Express brand name in effort to challenge Coinstar's (Nasdaq: CSTR) Redbox DVD kiosks. Video rental...

Jackson Hewitt Jumps on Wal-Mart and Earnings On back to back days the two largest tax preparation services released prior quarter earnings. H&R Block Inc (HRB) reported on Tuesday disappointing investors who sent the stock tumbling from $20.48 a share to $19.90 a share on the day. Today saw...

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX) has soared 18% to $4.87 on 1.31 million shares after Jackson Hewitt posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss, aided by lower costs, and said it will operate in more Wal-Mart Stores Inc locations than previously estimated. RealNetworks, Inc. (NASDAQ...