U.S. Hot Stock: Hot Stocks to Watch

Among the companies with shares expected to trade actively in Thursday's session are Kroger Co. (KR), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF) and Ciena Corp. (CIEN).

Kroger said its earnings rose 7.9% in the latest quarter as the supermarket operator benefited from continued sales growth and a recent acquisition. However, shares fell 8.1% to $37.26 in premarket trading as revenue missed expectations and the midpoint of its sales guidance for the current quarter just edged past Wall Street views.

Herbalife on Thursday said it misstated an important member growth metric 28 times over three earnings calls since last year. The company's shares fell 5.8% to $53.14 in premarket trading.

Ciena narrowed its loss in its most recent quarter as the telecom-equipment maker continues to adapt to cloud-based and mobile-based networking demands. But the company gave revenue guidance for the current quarter in a range mostly below estimates. Shares of Ciena fell 13% to $18.00 premarket.

Luggage maker Samsonite International SA (1910.HK) is near a deal to buy competitor Tumi Holdings Inc. (TUMI), valuing the latter at close to $2 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. Shares of Tumi shot up 38% to $27.80 premarket.

The Habit Restaurants Inc. (HABT) swung to a fourth-quarter profit, but sales and its projection for the current year fell short of expectations. Shares of the company tumbled 12% to $18.50 premarket.

Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) on Wednesday posted an 8.7% decline in second-quarter profit, though the warehouse chain's comparable-store sales increased, breaking a streak of declines.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc.'s (AEO) profit rose during the holiday quarter, boosted by higher sales.

Oil and gas producer Hess Corp. (HES) said Chairman Mark Williams has retired for health reasons and named James Quigley to succeed him. Mr. Quigley, a Hess board member, was chief executive of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. from 2007 through 2011.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (VRX) said its U.S. dermatology products chief has left the company for personal reasons.

Semiconductor maker Semtech Corp. (SMTC) reported fourth-quarter results at the high end of its guidance and projected first-quarter earnings and revenue above analyst estimates.

Burlington Stores Inc. (BURL) on Thursday posted revenue and profit growth but released profit forecasts that were below analyst expectations.

Write to Jenny Roth at [e-mail] and Maria Armental at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 03, 2016 09:27 ET (14:27 GMT)

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