U.S. Hot Stock Futures: Hot Stocks to Watch

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Thursday's session are Oracle Corp. (ORCL), MetroCorp Bancshares Inc. (MCBI) and Apogee Enterprises Inc. (APOG).

Oracle returned to modest growth in its first quarter as demand for the company's software appeared to rebound a bit despite pressure from online rivals. But the company reported that revenue rose just 2% in the fiscal period ended August 31, less than analysts expected, while profit rose 8%. Shares fell 3.5% to $32.70 in after-hours trading.

East West Bancorp Inc. (EWBC) agreed to pay roughly $273 million to acquire smaller banking peer MetroCorp Bancshares, a cash-and-stock deal to bolster the larger bank's presence in Houston and enter the Dallas market. Shares of MetroCorp jumped 25% to $13.60 after hours.

Apogee's fiscal second-quarter profit jumped 21% as the glass-products designer reported higher architectural glass sales and wider gross margins. But results missed Wall Street's expectations, sending shares down 5.8% to $27.80 in after-hours trading.

 
   Watchlist: 
 

Clarcor Inc.'s (CLC) fiscal third-quarter earnings fell 5.2% as the filter-and-packaging company's bottom line was weighed by $7.7 million in pre-tax charges, masking a small net sales increase. Results in the quarter were mixed, as Clarcor's adjusted profit topped expectations but revenue growth fell short.

Sporting-goods retailer Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) plans to spend more than $1.8 billion over the next five years on new stores, store upgrades and to expand its e-commerce business in an effort to reach a sales target of $10 billion.

Herman Miller Inc.'s (MLHR) fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 13% as results beat the office-furniture company's expectations behind wider margins and growth in revenue, particularly outside its core North American business.

McDonald's Corp.'s (MCD) board approved a 5% hike to the fast-food chain's dividend, a move that highlights the company's preference to return cash to shareholders first through dividends, with a secondary focus on buybacks.

In the midst of a merger with Office Depot Inc. (ODP), OfficeMax Inc. (OMX) said Chief Executive Ravi Saligram has withdrawn his name from consideration for the chief-executive position of the combined company. The retailers agreed in February to merge in a deal that valued OfficeMax at around $1.19 billion.

Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) shuffled some of the premium-brand clothing maker's top executive posts, part of the creation of a so-called "office of the chairman" that comes less than two months after a disappointing quarterly earnings report.

Steelcase Inc.'s (SCS) fiscal second-quarter earnings slipped 6.4% as the office-furniture maker recorded an uptick in operating expenses and restructuring costs, while a drop in sales in the company's Europe, Middle East and Africa segment weighed on overall revenue.

Write to John Kell at [e-mail]

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires