U.S. HOT STOCK FUTURES: HOT STOCKS TO WATCH

01/30/2013| 06:23am US/Eastern

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Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday's session are Amazon.com Inc. (>> Amazon.com, Inc.), Chesapeake Energy Corp. (>> Chesapeake Energy Corporation) and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (>> ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.).

Amazon.com posted a 45% drop in earnings in the fourth quarter, but some other measures of the online retailer's profitability came as a positive surprise. The company said revenue rose 22% in its crucial holiday selling season, as more consumers turn to its sites for speedy shipping and lower prices on many items. Operating income rose 56% and gross margin widened. Shares were up 8.9% to $283.50 after hours.

Chesapeake Energy said its co-founder and chief executive, Aubrey McClendon, will step down April 1, bowing out after a lengthy battle with investors and a revamped board that sought to rein in the trailblazing executive. Suares jumped 9.1% to $20.69 after hours.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a drug called Kynamro that will be marketed by marketed by Sanofi's (SNY, SNY.FR) Genzyme unit to treat rare disease that causes very high cholesterol. The drug is also known by its generic name, mipomersen, and was developed by Isis Pharmaceuticals, which saw shares rise 8.3% to $14.49 after hours.

Ace Ltd.'s (>> ACE Limited) fourth-quarter earnings rose 4.1% as an increase in realized gains boosted the insurer's bottom-line results, though it saw an increase in catastrophe losses as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Shares slipped 4.5% to $81.11 after hours as the company projected 2013 earnings below analyst expectations.

Dolby Laboratories Inc.'s (>> Dolby Laboratories, Inc.) fiscal first-quarter earnings fell 30% as the audio company's operating margin came under pressure. But the company's Class A shares rose 4% after hours Tuesday to $33.02 as the company's results beat expectations.

Key Tronic Corp.'s (>> Key Tronic Corporation) fiscal second-quarter profit rose 13% as sales continued to increase, but the manufacturer said a customer's lower demand has slowed revenue growth. Shares fell 16% to $10.04 in after-hours trading.

Parexel International Corp.'s (>> PAREXEL International Corporation) fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 65% on higher sales and the drug and biotechnology services company raised its full-year guidance. Shares rose 3.1% to $34.90 in after-hours trading as results beat the company's expectations.

Ryland Group Inc.'s (>> The Ryland Group, Inc.) fourth-quarter profit soared as the home building and mortgage-finance company saw new orders and improved housing margins boost revenue. Shares rose 3.4% to $42.70 after hours as results easily beat expectations.

Flash memory-chip maker Spansion Inc. (>> Spansion Inc.) swung to a fourth-quarter profit as margins sharply improved, however the company offered downbeat guidance for the current quarter. Shares slipped 9% to $11.99 after hours as the latest period's results missed analyst expectations and as the company said it could post an adjusted loss in the first quarter, while Wall Street was modeling for a profit.

Unisys Corp.'s (>> Unisys Corporation) fourth-quarter income fell 13% as the information technology company recorded heavy pension-related charges, though core earnings improved. The results easily beat analysts' expectations, and shares jumped 11% in after-hours trading to $21.08.

Ventrus Biosciences Inc. (>> Ventrus Biosciences Inc) said it is offering to sell common stock, but didn't provide further details about the offering. The pharmaceutical company that focuses on developing drugs for anal disorders had about 12.9 million shares outstanding as of Nov. 9. Shares declined 8.8% to $2.99 after hours.

 
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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s (>> Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.) fourth-quarter earnings fell 17% as the insurance broker and consulting firm reported higher operating expenses and charges for restructuring and other items.

Boston Properties Inc.'s (>> Boston Properties, Inc.) fourth-quarter profit fell 36% as the office landlord's expenses rose, masking higher rental revenue.

Broadcom Corp.'s (>> Broadcom Corporation) fourth-quarter profit edged down 1.2% on one-time charges, masking the chip maker's increasing revenue.

Buckeye Technologies Inc. (>> Buckeye Technologies Inc.) swung to a fiscal second-quarter profit as an insurance benefit boosted the company's results, though earnings were weaker than expected.

Freescale Semiconductor Ltd.'s (>> Freescale Semiconductor Ltd) fourth-quarter loss widened as the chip maker recorded sales declines across several markets, including automotives. However, for the current quarter, Freescale projected sales above analyst estimates.

Intuit Inc. (>> Intuit Inc.) said a federal court has denied tax-preparation company H&R Block Inc.'s (>> H&R Block, Inc.) effort to pull two of the financial software provider's TurboTax television advertisements, which H&R Block claimed were misleading.

Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.'s (>> Jones Lang LaSalle Inc) fourth-quarter earnings rose 26% amid broad revenue growth and lower restructuring- and integration-related charges as well as other items.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (>> Keryx Biopharmaceuticals) is offering $55 million in shares and plans to use net proceeds to build inventory and conduct commercial activities related to Zerenex and for other general corporate purposes. According to FactSet, the company has a market capitalization of $436 million.

NewLink Genetics Corp. (>> NewLink Genetics Corp) intends to publicly offer an undisclosed amount of shares, the proceeds of which would go to general corporate purposes. The biopharmaceutical company had about 20.9 million shares outstanding as of Sept. 30.

Qiagen NV (QGEN, QIA.XE) swung to a fourth-quarter profit as the medical-testing technologies provider benefited from lower integration and other operating costs, along with higher sales.

Robert Half International Inc.'s (>> Robert Half International Inc.) fourth-quarter earnings rose 39% as the temporary-staffing company continued to post broad revenue growth.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (>> Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated) swung to a fourth-quarter loss as revenues from its hepatitis C drug Incivek slumped on lower demand.

Websense Inc.'s (>> Websense Inc.) fourth-quarter earnings fell 63% as the security technology vendor's operating expenses increased, and sales declined slightly. The company's guidance for the current quarter missed analyst expectations.

Write to Nathalie Tadena at nathalie.tadena@dowjones.com

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