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AptarGroup sees strong first-quarter earnings

Dow Jones Newswires | Crystal Lake-based AptarGroup Inc.’s first-quarter earnings climbed by nearly half on strength in its core beauty-and-home segment, as the product-dispenser maker projected stronger earnings in the current quarter than analysts expected.

It sees earnings of 60 cents to 65 cents a share, above the average estimate of 56 cents a share from a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters.

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Chicago stocks for Thursday

GAINERS   % LOSERS   % MOST ACTIVE Vol (000)
Sauer-Danfoss +11.79 Smurfit-Stone -20.48 Motorola 27,368
A.M. Castle +5.51 Brunswick -3.49 UAL Corp 18,836
UAL Corp. +5.28 OfficeMax -3.29 Smurfit-Stone 17,744
GATX Corp +5.02 First Industrial -3.24 Kraft Foods 15,202
Hub Group +4.62 W.W. Grainger -3.03 Discover   9,308

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Signs of a retail recovery boost Brunswick shares

By Kathy Bergen |
Signs of potential retail recovery sent shares of Lake Forest-based Brunswick Corp. up by 8 percent Wednesday to close at $17.78 on the New York Stock Exchange.

“There is a general sense of optimism that the marine industry is turning,” said Hayley Wolff, senior analyst with Rochdale Research in New York.  Brunswick, whose products include a range of boats and boating equipment, is well-positioned to benefit from an industry comeback, she said.

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DeVry shares boosted by education stocks

By Kathy Bergen
|
DeVry Inc. is riding a surge in for-profit education stocks today, with its shares rising by more than 9 percent, to $71.79 at midday on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Downers Grove-based firm’s shares took off after Credit Suisse upgraded its shares and those of Carmel, Ind.-based ITT Educational Services from neutral to outperform.

Analysts cited the possibility that the U.S. government may ease proposed rules affecting eligibility for federal student aid.

Motorola listed on new Nasdaq Smartphone Index

By Wailin Wong
| The Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. launched Monday a new stock index that tracks
companies involved in the smartphone industry.

Schaumburg-based Motorola Inc. is one of the 84 companies represented on
the Smartphone Index, which was created in conjunction with the
Consumer Electronics Association. The list spans companies specializing
in hardware, software and mobile networks. In addition to Motorola, the
index also includes technology bellwethers such as Apple, Nokia and
AT&T.

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Caterpillar helped push the Dow above 11,000

Dow Jones Newswires | With Caterpillar, Alcoa and Chevron in the lead, stocks rose, prompting the Dow Jones Industrial Average to close above 11,000 for the first time since September 2008.

The Dow climbed 8.62 points, or 0.08%, to 11,005.97, its highest close since Sept. 26, 2008. Caterpillar was the measure’s best performer, up $1.46, or 2.2%, to $66.73, after Baird upgraded its investment rating on the industrial giant’s stock to “outperform” from “neutral.” The firm cited higher machinery production rates and an expected increase in global mining capital spending.

Alcoa rose 18 cents, or 1.3%, to 14.57, as investors’ hopes rose for the aluminum giant’s first-quarter report. Chevron also was strong, up 93 cents, or 1.2%, to 80.43.

Dow tops 11,000 in early trading

Associated Press | Stocks are slightly higher with the Dow Jones
industrial average rising above 11,000 again after concerns about
Greece’s debt problems eased further over the weekend.

In early morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 10.28,
or 0.1 percent, at 11,007.63. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up
1.78, or 0.2 percent, at 1,196.15, while the Nasdaq composite index is
up 2.28, or 0.1 percent, at 2,456.33.

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Chicago stocks for Thursday

GAINERS   % LOSERS   % MOST ACTIVE Vol (000)
UAL Corp +6.75 ACCO Brands  -4.41 UAL Corp 30,717
Strategic Hotels +3.34 Smurfit-Stone  -3.60 Motorola 27,882
USG Corp. +2.86 Zebra Tech.  -3.04 Sara Lee 10,132
Motorola +2.77 First Industrial  -2.99 Smurfit-Stone   8,434
WMS Industries +2.51 Career Education  -2.47 Kraft   7,810

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Top 100 companies
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Morningstar’s Mansueto takes a 6% pay cut

By Becky Yerak | Joe Mansueto, the chairman and chief executive of Morningstar Inc., took
a 6 percent pay cut in 2009, taking home only $100,020 in total
compensation.

But he does own 25.6 million shares, or 52 percent of the Chicago-based
investment research provider. That’s worth $1.2 billion based on the
$46.94 trading price mid-Thursday afternoon. Morningstar’s 52-week trading range is $31 to $54.75.

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Goldman Sachs recommends McDonald’s options

From Bloomberg | Goldman Sachs is recommending that investors buy bullish McDonald’s Corp. options because they are at near record lows. They say that McDonald’s may rally on stronger-than-estimated earnings and a smoothie introduction.

Get the full story: bloomberg.com.

Northbrook company hikes dividend by 25 percent

By Becky Yerak | IDEX Corp., a Northbrook-based company whose products range from the Jaws of Life to fluid-measuring products, hiked its regular quarterly cash dividend by 25 percent to 15 cents a share payable April 30 to shareholders of record April 15.

It’s the 62nd straight regular quarterly dividend payment for IDEX.

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Chicago stocks for Thursday

GAINERS   % LOSERS   % MOST ACTIVE Vol (000)
Rubicon +7.52 Smurfit-Stone -11.46 Motorola 24,853
Tenneco +3.97 Ulta Salon  -2.08 Kraft Foods   9,259
Gardner +3.59 Brunswick  -1.50 UAL Corp   9,057
Discover +2.95 Strategic Hotels  -1.41 Walgreen   7,946
Brookdale +2.54 OfficeMax  -1.10 Caterpillar   7,828

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Top 100 companies
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Brunswick shares tumble on downgrade

Associated Press | Shares of Brunswick Corp. tumbled on Thursday
after an analyst downgraded shares of the boat maker, saying the
company still has earnings potential, but it faces soft retail sales in
the first quarter.

Raymond James analyst Joseph D. Hovorka cut his rating on the company
to “Market Perform” from “Outperform.” Shares of Brunswick fell 50
cents, or 3.1 percent, to $15.47 in afternoon trading Thursday.

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CB Richard Ellis stock at 52-week high

From StreetInsider.com | A Goldman Sachs upgrade from neutral to conviction buy lifts shares in CB Richard Ellis to a 52-week high in Monday trading.

Read the full story: StreetInsider.com

Chicago stocks for Thursday

GAINERS   % LOSERS   % MOST ACTIVE Vol (000)
Smurfit-Stone +8.27 Strategic Hotels -6.24 Motorola 30,331
Ulta Salon +3.41 A.M. Castle -4.73 Kraft 14,827
Brookdale +3.19 Huron Consulting -4.01 Caterpillar 11,361
USG Corp +3.13 Tootsie Roll -3.38 Walgreen 9,932
Walgreen +2.63 Rubicon -0.56 Abbott Labs 8,510

See results from Chicago’s
Top 100 companies
.