Asahi, Astellas, Hitachi, KDDI, Suzuki: Japan Equity Preview

By Norie Kuboyama

July 23 (Bloomberg) -- The following companies may have unusual price changes in Japanese trading today. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and share prices are from the previous close. The information in each item was released after markets shut, unless stated otherwise.

Asahi Breweries Ltd. (2502 JT): Japan's biggest brewer by sales said in a preliminary earnings statement first-half net income totaled 18.9 billion yen ($177.6 million), beating its outlook by 64 percent, citing streamlining of advertising and fixed costs. Asahi had forecast 11.5 billion yen in profit for the period. The stock rose 25 yen, or 1.3 percent, to 1,893.

Astellas Pharma Inc. (4503 JT): Japan's second-largest drugmaker and Boehringer Ingelheim (BING GR) of Germany sued Impax Laboratories Inc. (IPXL US), claiming a violation of the patent on the Flomax urinary-disorder treatment in the U.S. The companies filed the suit at U.S. District Court, Northern California, on July 18, Tokyo-based Astellas said in a statement. Astellas was unchanged at 4,390 yen.

Goodwill Group Inc. (4723 JT): The staffing company's full- year net loss was 30 billion yen, wider than its 9 billion yen loss forecast, citing charges related to withdrawing from business lines. The stock plunged 490 yen, or 9.6 percent, to 4,610.

Hitachi Ltd. (6501 JT): The company and General Electric Co. (GE US) will develop midsize nuclear reactors to meet demand in Southeast Asia and other emerging markets, the Nikkei newspaper reported. The boiling-water reactors with output of 1 million kilowatts or less may meet demand in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, which together may build as many as 12 facilities by 2025. Each reactor will cost as much as 300 billion yen, the report said. Hitachi rose 9 yen, or 1.2 percent, to 766.

KDDI Corp. (9433 JT): Japan's second-biggest mobile-phone operator said first-quarter net income fell 12 percent 72.5 billion yen because it lost customers after phasing out an older service. KDDI rose 2,000 yen, or 0.3 percent, to 587,000.

Koa Corp. (6999 JT): The electronic-parts maker said in a preliminary earnings statement first-quarter net income totaled 48 million yen, 76 percent below its forecast, citing higher fixed costs. Koa rallied 21 yen, or 3.1 percent, to 707.

Koma Stadium Co. (9642 JO): Toho Co. (9602 JT), a moviemaker, offered to pay 7,400 yen for each Koma Stadium share to buy out the theater operator. Toho owns a 9.45 percent stake in Koma as of July 22, the companies said. Koma Stadium was unchanged at 1,545 yen. Toho rose 15 yen, or 0.7 percent, to 2,125.

Komatsu Wall Industry Co. (7949 JT): The maker of room partitions said it had a first-quarter net loss of 148 million yen, reversing from a 44 million yen profit a year earlier, as cost-saving efforts didn't offset surging raw material prices. The stock added 3 yen, or 0.2 percent, to 1,235.

NEC Electronics Corp. (6723 JT): The company may report a first-quarter operating profit of 1 billion yen on sales of chips for home appliances and cars, the Nikkei newspaper reported. It booked an operating loss of 2.2 billion yen in the April-June period last year. The stock rose 125 yen, or 4.9 percent, to 2,690.

Nidec Copal Corp. (7756 JT): The electronic-components maker said it will increase its stake in a venture with Apic Yamada Corp. (6300 JT) to 68.4 percent. Nidec Copal rose 8 yen, or 0.6 percent, to 1,265. Apic Yamada gained 5 yen, or 1.8 percent, to 287.

Nintendo Co. (7974 JO): The world's biggest maker of handheld game machines is facing a ban on sales of some game controllers for its Wii and GameCube systems after it lost a bid to overturn a $21 million patent-infringement verdict. Nintendo rose 700 yen, or 1.3 percent, to 55,300.

Nomura Real Estate Holdings Inc. (3231 JT): Japan's sixth- largest developer agreed to buy 65 percent of Toshiba Corp.'s (6502 JT) real estate unit for about 80 billion yen to expand its business. Nomura Real Estate rallied 99 yen, or 5.3 percent, to 1,959. Toshiba added 1 yen, or 0.1 percent, to 730.

Plenus Co. (9945 JT): The boxed-meal distributor said it will spend as much as 2.5 billion yen to buy back up to 2.43 percent of its outstanding shares through Aug. 15. Plenus rose 20 yen, or 1.2 percent, to 1,635.

Right On Co. (7445 JT): The jeans and casual wear retailer said same-store sales in July fell by 2.7 percent from the same month a year ago, as surging gasoline prices deterred customers traveling by car. Customer traffic at its 474 stores open at least 12 months declined 6.2 percent in the last month, the company said in a release. The stock slipped 5 yen, or 0.4 percent, to 1,127.

Sogo Medical Co. (4775 JT): The equipment-leasing company said it had a first-quarter net loss of 60 million yen, reversing from 156 million yen in profit a year earlier, citing costs related to its pharmacy operation. Separately, the company said it will buy back as much as 2.6 percent of its total shares through Sept. 19. The stock rose 25 yen, or 0.9 percent, to 2,810.

Suzuki Motor Corp. (7269 JT): The automaker may report a first-quarter operating profit of more than 41 billion yen on sales in emerging markets such as India and Russia, the Nikkei newspaper reported. Suzuki posted operating profit of 40.4 billion yen for the April-June period last year. Sales are likely to be close to the 894.5 billion yen recorded last year, the report said. The stock gained 110 yen, or 4.7 percent, to 2,455.

Takigami Steel Construction Co. (5918 JT) and Yokogawa Bridge Holdings Corp. (5911 JT): The bridge builders said they will hold 2.5 percent voting rights in each other as part of an alliance. Takigami lost 1 yen, or 0.3 percent, to 300. Yokogawa added 3 yen, or 0.5 percent, to 668.

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203 JT): The automaker's first-half sales fell 7 percent in North America and Europe because of soaring gasoline costs, the Nikkei newspaper said. The stock rallied 260 yen, or 5.6 percent, to 4,910.

To contact the reporter on this story: Norie Kuboyama in Tokyo at nkuboyama@bloomberg.net.