Stocks gained despite news that core inflation rose more than it has in two years, but in the wake of strong earnings reports from Dell, Deere and Comcast.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 65 points after pausing for breath on Tuesday, reacting negatively to weaker-than-expected retail sales.
Among Dow components, JPMorgan , Hewlett-Packard , and Boeing rose, while Verizon and AT&T fell.
So which individual stocks are worth watching today? Here are six that are on the move:
Family Dollar Stores inc
The discount store chain was leading the S&P up more than 20 percent after investor Nelson Peltz offered to buy the company late Tuesday for as much as $60 a share.
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The Travelers Companies Inc.
The holding company was trading at all-time highs not seen since it acquired US Fidelity and Guaranty Company in 1998.
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Las Vegas Sands Corp
The hotel casino was up more than one percent Wednesday after an upgrade to buy from hold at Keybanc Capital Markets.
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Davita Inc.
The health care provider was trading at all-time highs not seen since its IPO in 1995.
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Sprint Nextel Corporation
The mobile telecommunications company received an upgrade to buy from hold at Argus Research. The stock traded higher on that news.
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Wells Fargo & Company
The financial service company slipped more than 2 percent after a downgrade at Institutional Risk Analytics and after financial disclosure that led to the departure of its CFO.
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