Oct 3 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks to watch on Wednesday:
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WALL STREET SET TO RISE AT OPEN AFTER JOBS DATA
U.S. stocks were set to rise slightly at the open on Wednesday after data showed more jobs were created in the U.S. private sector last month than analysts had expected.
S&P 500 futures were up 1.6 points and slightly above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 12 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures added 6.5 points.
** SAREPTA THERAPEUTICS INC , Tuesday close $14.99, up 135 pct premarket
The company said its experimental drug met the main goal of improving walking ability in patients with a rare muscle disorder in a mid-stage trial.
** HEWLETT-PACKARD CO , Tuesday close $17.13, up 0.4 pct premarket
Wall Street investors at the company's analyst day meeting may grill Chief Executive Meg Whitman on how she plans to reverse a share price that has lost more value this year than almost any other major technology company.
** GOOGLE INC , Tuesday close $756.99, up 0.13 pct premarket
** APPLE INC , Tuesday close $661.31, up 0.17 pct premarket
Google's subsidiary Motorola Mobility has dropped a complaint of patent infringement against Apple Inc without explanation.
** INTERMUNE INC , Tuesday close $8.85, up 10.7 pct premarket
The biotechnology company said Canadian health regulators approved its drug to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal lung disease.
** XYRATEX LTD , Tuesday close $8.70, down 10.3 pct premarket
The network and storage equipment maker's third-quarter results missed analysts estimates as demand in the enterprise sector fell, and the company forecast a surprise loss for the current quarter.
The company will reduce headcount by 10 percent and scale back production in the United States in the current quarter, it said in a conference call with analysts.
** RIGEL PHARMACEUTICALS INC , Tuesday close $10.35, down 5.8 pct premarket
The clinical-stage drug development company announced a proposed public offering of common stock.
** FAMILY DOLLAR STORES INC , Tuesday close $66.00, up 3 pct premarket
posted a higher quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by increased sales of food and other basic goods that brought shoppers into the stores yet continued to pressure margins.
** MONSANTO CO , Tuesday close 90.56, down 3 pct premarket
The global agribusiness group posted a fourth-quarter loss on Wednesday, as expected, amid a seasonally sluggish sales period.
** BEST BUY CO INC , Tuesday close $16.97, up 3 pct premarket
The company's founder Richard Schulze and at least four private equity firms have started examining the books of the world's largest consumer electronics chain, in early steps toward what could become a potential $11 billion buyout, according to people familiar with the matter.
** METROPCS INC , Tuesday close $13.57, up 2.43 percent premarket
The board of the company has approved to merge with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA unit, German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland said on its website on Wednesday, citing unidentified people familiar with the process.
** B&G FOODS INC , Tuesday close $33.51, down 2.2 pct premarket
The company, which sells Ortega Mexican food and Cream of Wheat hot cereals, said it priced its public offering of 3.6 million shares at $30.25 per share - a 3.5 percent discount. The proceeds from the offering would be used to pay down its debt and costs related to the acquisition of the New York Style and Old London brands.
** WALGREEN CO , Tuesday close $36.91, down 1.6 pct premarket
The largest U.S. drugstore chain reported a nearly 8 percent decline in September sales as calendar day shifts hurt pharmacy sales along with generic drug introductions.
** HANESBRANDS INC , Tuesday close $32.03, up 1.9 pct premarket
The underwear maker reaffirmed its 2012 guidance.
** SOURCEFIRE INC , Tuesday close $47.96, up 1.5 pct premarket
The cyber-security software maker said Chief Executive John Burris will step down effective immediately, three months after he had taken medical leave of absence to undergo treatment for colon cancer.
** ARQULE INC , Tuesday close $2.18, down 1.4 pct premarket
The biotechnology company said it will discontinue a late-stage trial of the lung cancer drug it is co-developing with Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd after an interim analysis showed the drug would not improve overall survival, sending ArQule's shares down as much as 60 percent.
** LINKEDIN CORP , Tuesday close $118.77, up 0.8 pct premarket
The professional social network will let its users "follow" and receive updates from people outside their personal contact list, a move that could entice users to spend more time on its website.
** RPM International Inc , Tuesday close $26.63, up 0.45 pct premarket
quarterly profit fell as the coatings and sealants maker incurred one-time charges but it raised its profit and sales growth forecast for 2013.
** VIVUS INC , Tuesday close $18.38
The obesity drugmaker said a class action lawsuit against the company related to Vivus's claims about its drug Qsymia has been dismissed.
** CITRIX SYSTEMS , Tuesday close $75.49 ** PALO ALTO NETWORKS , Tuesday close $62.00
Business software maker Citrix Systems and security software company Palo Alto Networks have entered a strategic partnership to offer joint application delivery and security products.
** THERAVANCE INC , Tuesday close $26.39
The biotechnology company and private pharmaceutical group Alfa Wassermann said they entered into an agreement for a mid-stage study of Theravance's gastrointestinal disorder drug velusetrag.
** ANCESTRY.COM INC , Tuesday close $29.69
Permira Advisers LLP has emerged as the front-runner to take genealogy website private, two people familiar with the matter said, in a deal that could top $1.5 billion.
** MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC , Tuesday close $38.63
The second-largest U.S. hotelier is likely to report weak results for the third quarter on softness in some international markets, after markets close.
(Complied by Aditi Shrivastava in Bangalore)
(aditi.shrivastava@thomsonreuters.com, within U.S. +1 646 223 8780, outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5783, Reuters messaging: aditi.shrivastava.reuters.com@reuters.net)
Keywords: MARKETS USA STOCKS/PULSE