Dean Foods, Electronic Arts, Praxair, Saks: U.S. Equity Preview

By Lynn Thomasson

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The following companies may have unusual price changes in U.S. trading tomorrow. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and share prices are as of 6 p.m. in New York, unless otherwise specified.

Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures expiring in December rose 0.2 percent to 891.50. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures increased 4 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 8,724. Nasdaq- 100 Index futures climbed 0.4 percent to 1,217.

Dean Foods Co. (DF US): The biggest U.S. dairy processor said Chief Executive Officer Gregg Engles has refinanced the remaining portion of a personal loan collateralized by company shares. The new loan doesn’t include a margin-call provision and eliminates the possibility of a forced sale of stock in the event of a share-price decline, the company said. The stock slid 1.6 percent to $15.38 in regular trading.

Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS US) lost 10 percent to $17.41 in trading after the official close of exchanges. The world’s second-largest maker of video games predicted fiscal 2009 revenue and profit will be lower than previously forecast because of slow holiday sales in North America and Europe. The company said it will reduce costs by making fewer games and increasing job cuts.

Praxair Inc. (PX US) slipped 2.1 percent to $55.75. The largest producer of industrial gases in the Americas reduced its fourth-quarter profit forecast to 95 cents to $1.00 a share, excluding some one-time items. Because of recent cost-reduction actions, the company said it will take a pretax charge of about $120 million in the quarter.

Saks Inc. (SKS US): The luxury clothing chain plans to close its bridal departments except for those in its Manhattan and Beverly Hills stores, the company wrote in a Dec. 1 letter to customers. The stock tumbled 8.9 percent to $4.91 in regular trading.

UAL Corp. (UAUA US): The United Airlines parent raised $150 million by selling 15 Boeing Co. 757 aircraft that it will lease back, the latest effort to generate cash as falling fuel prices force it to post collateral on purchase contracts. UAL shares sank 13 percent to $10.52 in regular trading.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lynn Thomasson in New York at lthomasson@bloomberg.net.