U.S. Hot Stocks: Hot Stocks to Watch

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday's session are PetSmart Inc. (PETM) and American Realty Capital Properties Inc. (ARCP).

PetSmart Inc. (PETM) agreed to be bought by a group led by BC Partners Inc. for more than $8.2 billion, the largest private-equity buyout in an otherwise lackluster year for such deals. Besides BC Partners, the group includes some of the buyout firm's investors and Longview Asset Management LLC, which controls about a 9% stake in PetSmart and plans to hold on to one-third of that.

American Realty Capital Properties Inc. (ARCP), the real-estate investment trust under investigation for accounting irregularities, said Monday that Chairman Nicholas Schorsch and Chief Executive David Kay have stepped down.

AES Corp. (AES) said Monday that it has agreed to sell a minority stake in its AES US Investments Inc. unit for $244 million to La Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, or CDPQ, in a deal that will also give the Canadian pension-investment manager a stake in IPALCO Enterprises Inc. Separately, AES said it would double its dividend to 10 cents, adding that it expects the payout to grow at an annual rate of 10%.

Apache Corp. (APA) agreed to sell its stakes in two liquified natural gas projects in Australia and British Columbia for a combined $2.75 billion to Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL.AU) and a nearly $1 billion reimbursement for prior costs. Apache has been shedding noncore assets to focus on its U.S. operations.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKA, BRKB) on Friday said it is buying Charter Brokerage, a third-party logistics provider to the petroleum and chemical industries, from Arsenal Capital Partners. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Honeywell International Inc. (HON) provided a muted revenue outlook for 2015 and slightly lowered its projection for this year, saying it expects only modest economic growth next year. The industrial conglomerate repeatedly raised its 2014 guidance, buoyed by strong growth in the past few quarters.

Bridge Bancorp Inc. (BDGE) agreed to acquire Community National Bank in an all-stock deal valued at $141 million, continuing Bridge Bancorp's expansion into Nassau County and New York City.

Document-management and data-storage company Recall Holdings Ltd. (REC.AU) has rejected a 2.2 billion Australian dollar (US$1.8 billion) takeover bid from Iron Mountain Inc. (IRM) as too low. Both companies have been aggressively targeting smaller acquisitions over the past year.

Navistar International Corp. (NAV) said Monday that it plans to close its Indianapolis foundry, which produces engine blocks and heads, and that it would instead get the components from suppliers. The commercial truck producer said the move, which comes after a two-year process to streamline and strengthen the company, will result in 180 jobs being cut, along with a $13 million decrease in annual operating costs.

SunCoke Energy Inc. (SXC) said it would halve its coal production and cut 175 jobs as part of its plan to exit the costly business amid a challenging price environment.

Barron's Watch List:

Goateed billionaire Richard Branson launches businesses the way most people spring for lattes. His Virgin Group, best known for airlines and wireless service, has dabbled in rocket ships, vodka, mortgages, music, and much else. So it was perhaps inevitable that Virgin would launch a cruise line, as it announced earlier this month. Stock investors can follow Branson in a smarter way: by purchasing shares in the industry leaders, Carnival Corp. (CCL) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL). Both could gain 20% over the next year.

Write to Tess Stynes at [e-mail]

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