NYSE

RBC Capital Markets upgraded its rating on shares of Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. (NYSE: SHO) to "outperform" with above average risk from "sector perform" and increased price target to $14 from $11.

Ventas agreed to acquire smaller rival Nationwide Health Properties for $7.4 billion or $44.99 a share in stock, creating one of the largest publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the United States.

U.S. stocks climbed on Friday, reversing a three-day sell-off on the deepening Libyan crisis, as oil prices appeared to have stabilized after Saudi Arabia increased its oil output.

RBC Capital Markets upgraded its rating on shares of Intrepid Potash, Inc. to outperform from sector perform and increased its price target to $44 from $38, on higher potash price forecast.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Friday are: Salesforce.com, Sandridge Energy, Boeing, Walt Disney, F5 Networks, Wells Fargo, Carnival Corp and First Solar.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices remained range-bound on Friday ahead of economic data including key GDP figures from the government.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Wednesday are: Salesforce.com, Sandridge Energy, FTI Consulting, Medicis Pharmaceutical and Clean Harbors. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Sturm, Ruger & Co, RailAmerica, Cinemark Holdings, Omnicare and Tyler Technologies.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $35-billion contract to Boeing Co. to (NYSE: BA) build a fleet of aerial fueling tankers in favor of its rival EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co.) ending a three-year epic battle, according to a report in The New York Times, quoting politicians and industry executives.

Shares of General Motors (NYSE: GM), despite having delivered its first profitable year of operations since 2004.

Commodity analysts at Nomura Holdings Inc. said. Brent crude prices could double to $220 per barrel in the coming weeks if Libya descends into an all-out civil war and further shuts down oil production in the country.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Priceline.Com, Integrys Energy, ConocoPhillips, Chesapeake Energy, Chevron Corp, E TRADE Financial, Red Hat, Suntrust Banks, Monster Worldwide and eBay.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Wednesday are: Polypore International, Jarden, iStar Financial, Calgon Carbon and K-V Pharmaceutical. The top after-market NYSE losers are: American Equity Investment, St. Joe, Magna International, Tenet Healthcare and Whiting Petroleum.

Stocks sank for a second consecutive day in tandem with oil prices surging to 28-month highs as continued turmoil and violence in Libya shatters traders nerves.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc could launch a rival bid for NYSE Euronext to avoid being left on the sidelines, a source said, as traditional exchanges race to merge to see off upstart electronic rivals.

The price of oil crude oil futures touched $100 per barrel for the first time since October 2008 on deepening worries over the political chaos and violence in oil-rich Libya.

Motorola Solutions announced an alliance with Verizon Wireless that would bring the advantages of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology to public safety customers across the United States.

US stocks were mixed in early trade on Wednesday after plunging in the previous session amid political unrest in the Middle East.

The Persian Gulf kingdom of Qatar has expressed some interest in investing in two major partially-nationalized British banks, Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE: RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE: LYG).

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Apache, Marathon Oil, NRG Energy, UnitedHealth Group, Applied Materials, AK Steel Holding, Hewlett-Packard, Netflix, Novellus Systems and International Paper.

The weak top line results of HP and its tepid outlook clearly shows the weak demand for consumer PCs, partly due to the overwhelming demand for tablets that is eating into the sales of PCs.

PC giant Hewlett-Packard Co's quarterly sales and outlook came in below Wall Street expectations, sending its shares down 11 percent in the afterhours trading on the NYSE.