Stocks to Watch: J.C. Penney, Deere, Lowe's

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are J.C. Penney Co.(JCP), Deere(DE) & Co. and Lowe's Cos.(LOW)

J.C. Penney’s fiscal third-quarter loss widened as the department-store retailer’s sales and margins weakened and the bottom line took a hit from negative tax-valuation allowance impacts. However, shares climbed 5.9% to $9.22 in recent premarket trading as the company appeared to be turning a corner as same-store sales and margins improved each month in the quarter. Shares climbed 8.3% to $9.43 premarket.

Deere’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 17%, helped by higher prices and lower taxes and offsetting weaker farm-equipment sales in the U.S. and Canada. Results beat expectations, and shares edged up 3.7% to $85.91 premarket.

Lowe’s reported a 26% increase in fiscal third-quarter earnings and raised its year outlook as the home-improvement retailer continues to benefit from the recovering housing market. However, its bottom line narrowly missed estimates, and Wall Street was expecting a sharper increase to its outlook. Shares slipped 2.9% to $49 premarket.

ADT Corp.'s(ADT) fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 2.1% as the security-monitoring company’s recurring revenue improved thanks to customer growth. The top line beat views, pushing shares up 2.2% to $43.75 premarket.

La-Z-Boy Inc.'s(LZB) fiscal second-quarter profit more than doubled on higher upholstery sales and as the furniture company reported rising demand at its network of stores. Results for the quarter easily exceeded expectations, and La-Z-Boy also announced it raised its quarterly dividend payment by 50% to six cents a share. The news sent shares up 7.4% to $26.22 premarket.

Seaspan Corp.(SSW) said it plans to offer 3.5 million Class A common shares, and expects to use the proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include funding vessel acquisitions. The containership owner recently had about 64.9 million shares outstanding, according to FactSet. Shares fell 8% to $21.55 premarket.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.(BMRN) said a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval of the company’s enzyme-replacement therapy for patients with a rare inherited disorder that can hinder growth. In premarket trading, shares rose 5.7% to $70.75.

Hirzel Capital Management LLC unveiled a major stake in Aeropostale Inc.(ARO), calling the teen-apparel retailer’s shares undervalued. The Dallas-based private investment firm Tuesday reported a 6% stake in Aeropostale and said it plans to have discussions with management, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

J.M. Smucker Co.'s(SJM) fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 3.1% as the jam and coffee maker booked lower commodity and restructuring charges and volumes improved in several key segments. But price cuts offset some of those benefits, and results missed expectations. The company also lowered its sales guidance for the year.

National Health Investors Inc.(NHI) signed an agreement to acquire 25 independent-living facilities from Holiday Retirement Corp. affiliates for $491 million. The health-care focused real-estate investment trust also unveiled plans to offer 4.5 million shares of its stock to help fund the pending deal.

Oneok Partners L.P(OKS). on Tuesday said it planned to invest $650 million to $780 million on Bakken Shale projects in North Dakota, including a new natural-gas processing plant. The spending plan is set to run through the second quarter of 2016. Oneok has already announced $6 billion to $6.4 billion in total investments through 2016.

Private-equity firm Blackstone Group L.P(BX). plans to trim its ownership stake in SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.(SEAS) by 15 million shares, following the theme-park operator’s public listing in April. The stock sale would cut Blackstone’s ownership to 46%, not including an underwriter option, resulting in SeaWorld no longer being a “controlled company” under New York Stock Exchange governing standards.

Staples Inc.(SPLS) swung to a fiscal third-quarter profit as the office-supply company closed stores in Europe and North America, reaching cost-cutting targets ahead of schedule. However, the company’s revenue fell and narrowly missed estimates due to soft demand for its products.

Yahoo Inc.(YHOO) on Tuesday said it increased its authorization to buy back shares by $5 billion.