News Summary

Shares of Stage Stores Inc SSI fell about 0.5% after the company reported 5.3% decline in its March sales at stores open at least one year. However, analysts were expecting same-store sales to drop 6.5%. SSI's total sales for the five weeks ended April 2 dropped 4.1% to $134 million. Shares of Ingersoll-Rand PLC IR gained about 2.2% after the company reported that its board had approved a stock repurchase plan of about $2 billion. The company also announced its plans to lift its quarterly dividend 71% to $0.12 per share. The dividend will be payable on June 30 to shareholders as of record on June 17. Shares of Pier 1 Imports Inc PIR gained about 7.6% after the company reported its FQ4 earnings at $57.1 million, or $0.48 per share, up from $34.5 million, or $0.30 per share, in the year-ago quarter. The company's net sales increased to $426.6 million, from $396 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.47 per share on sales of $427 million. PIR's comparable-store sales for the quarter surged 8.9%. The company also announced its plans to repurchase about $100 million of stock and invest $200 million over the next three years for driving sales and improving profitability. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.