News & Moves: ABBV, COL, IXYS, SPNC

(RTTNews) - Another High For ABBV...

Shares of AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) touched a new high on Friday, following the company's strong business performance in the third quarter, thanks to double-digit growth from its immunology drug HUMIRA and several other key brands.

For full year 2014, the company has raised its adjusted earnings-per-share guidance to $3.25 to $3.27 from its previous forecast of $3.06 to $3.16 per share range. Wall Street analysts are looking for earnings of $3.18 per share.

The company continues to expects FDA approval for its investigational, all-oral, interferon-free regimen therapy for chronic genotype 1 (GT1) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection this year. The NDA for the investigational HCV regimen was accepted on June 13, 2014 under priority review.

ABBV touched a new high of $63.99 on Friday before closing the day's trading at $63.46.

IXYS Focusing On Profit...

IXYS Corp. (IXYS), an integrated semiconductor company, has been experiencing improved profitability in fiscal year 2015, thanks to new sales and marketing initiatives, increased cross-selling, implementation of global manufacturing strategy through consolidation and outsourcing and achieving better manufacturing utilization.

In the second quarter of fiscal year 2015, which ended September 30, 2014, the company's net income is $5.7 million, or $0.18 per share, up from $3.6 million or $0.11 per share in the preceding quarter and $3.4 million or $0.11 per share in the September quarter of 2013.

Net revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 were $86.4 million, compared to $88.1 million in June 2014 quarter and $85.9 million in the September 2013 quarter.

Given the lack of visibility for long-term demand projections due to global market volatility, the company expects revenues in the December 2014 quarter to be somewhat lower than in the September 2014 quarter.

IXYS closed Friday's trading at $11.67, up 6.67%.

COL Ready For A Takeoff?

Avionics manufacturer Rockwell Collins Inc.(COL) whose earnings and sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014 topped analysts' expectations, sees improving market conditions for the company.

According to the company, the acquisition and integration of ARINC, a communications systems provider, is exceeding the expectations and adds a growth engine to its portfolio. ARINC was acquired by Rockwell Collins from Carlyle Group for $1.4 billion last December.

For fiscal year 2015, the company expects total sales to range between $5.2 billion and $5.3 billion, up from $4.98 billion reported in fiscal year 2014 and $4.47 billion in fiscal 2013. The company's fiscal year ends in September.

The company expanded its share repurchase authorization by $500 million in September of this year.

COL closed Friday's trading 1.50% higher at $84.15.

SPNC Opens Wallet Yet Again...

Medical device company Spectranetics Corp. (SPNC) is all set to acquire Stellarex drug coated angioplasty balloon platform from Covidien plc for $30 million.

The Stellarex DCB platform, which is designed to treat peripheral arterial disease, is currently is not approved for sale in any market. It is expected that the Stellarex DCB platform will receive European CE mark approval in late 2014 or early 2015, and FDA approval in 2017.

If all goes well as planned, Spectranetics management expects the acquisition of the Stellarex platform to provide a revenue growth catalyst beginning in 2015, with the potential to contribute at least $100 million of revenue within two to three years of commercialization in the United States.

In May of this year, Spectranetics acquired AngioScore Inc., a developer, manufacturer and marketer of cardiovascular, specialty balloons, for $230 million in cash, along with additional contingent commercial and regulatory milestone payments.

Due to the acquisition of AngioScore, Spectranetics expects full year 2014 revenue to be in the range of $202.0 million to $203.5 million, up from its prior forecast of $198.5 million to $201.0 million. The company's revenue in 2013 was $158.8 million.

SPNC touched a new high of $32.61 on Friday before closing the day's trading at $31.77.