MARKET PULSE- Pandora, Repros, Aeropostale, airlines, Nucor

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Sept 17 (Reuters) - Some U.S. stocks on the move on Tuesday:

WALL STREET EDGES UP AS FED MEETING LOOMS

Stocks edged up at the open on Tuesday ahead of the start of a highly anticipated Federal Reserve two-day meeting, while inflation data supported the case for the Fed to start to reduce its stimulus measures. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 28.8 points or 0.19 percent, to 15,523.58, the S&P 500 gained 2.51 points or 0.15 percent, to 1,700.11 and the Nasdaq Composite added 8.193 points or 0.22 percent, to 3,726.038.

** KYTHERA BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC (NasdaqGS: KYTH - news) , $42.00, up 25 pct (9:36 a.m. ET)

The maker of aesthetic medicines said on Monday its ATX (Vienna: ^ATX - news) -101 experimental injectable drug met the main and secondary goals of a clinical study testing the product's safety and efficacy in reducing double chin. Over 1,000 patients from the United States and Canada were enrolled in two late-stage studies for evaluating the drug against a placebo, Kythera said.

** REPROS THERAPEUTICS INC (NasdaqCM: RPRX - news) , $26.75, up 26 pct (09:48 a.m. ET)

The company said its drug Androxal met the main goals of a pivotal study in men with secondary hypogonadism, a condition in which men don't produce enough testosterone.

** REGADO BIOSCIENCES INC (NasdaqCM: RGDO - news) , $9.11, up 20 pct (9:50 a.m. ET)

The drugmaker enrolled the first patient for its experimental heart drug currently in late-stage clinical trials.

The study, REGULATE-PCI, is expected to enroll 13,200 patients in about 500 sites worldwide. The company expects the first of the three interim analyses of the drug in the second quarter of 2014.

** AGENUS INC (NasdaqCM: AGEN - news) $3.46, up 26 pct (9:37 a.m. ET)

The biotechnology company said a mid-stage study of its experimental brain cancer vaccine used in combination with standard treatments showed a 160 percent increase in progression free survival, compared to the standard treatment alone, in patients with an aggressive brain tumor.

** COMPUGEN LTD (NasdaqCM: CGEN - news) , $9.53, up 5 pct (09:46 a.m. ET)

The company said data on its experimental cancer therapy showed the drug can affect the activities of certain cells that play critical roles in the immune system's response against a tumor.

Data showed that the drug, CGEN-15049, has the potential to be developed for the treatment of various cancers, the company said.

** SAFEWAY INC (NYSE: SWY - news) , $30.85, up 10 pct (09:50 a.m. ET)

The supermarket operator said it has adopted a one-year shareholder rights plan after it became aware of an accumulation of a significant amount of common stock of the company.

The company set the trigger of the rights plan at 10 percent at which time the board will be entitled to redeem the rights at $0.01 per right.

** HUNTSMAN CORP, $20.21, up 6 pct (9:37 a.m. ET)

Huntsman said it would combine its pigment business with Rockwood's as part of a $1.1 billion deal and eventually take the business public.

** US AIRWAYS INC, $18.65, up 3.2 pct (9:45 a.m ET)

** DELTA AIR LINES INC (NYSE: DAL - news) , $23.42, up 1 pct

** UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS INC, $32.86, up 0.55 pct

** SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO (NYSE: LUV - news) , $14.23, up 1 pct

J.P. Morgan Securities raised its price target on some of the airline stocks, saying firm Revenue Per Available Seat Mile (RASM), a measure of unit revenue for airlines, and retreating oil prices bode well for their third-quarter 2013 earnings. The brokerage upgraded the stock of US Airways to "overweight" from "neutral" and raised its price target to $26 from $18, saying the company's "stand-alone prospects" are better than implied by the market. The brokerage also upgraded the stock of Delta Air Lines to "overweight" from "neutral", while raising the price target to $26 from $22.

** OUTERWALL INC (NasdaqGS: OUTR - news) , $46.97, down 16 pct (9:38a.m. ET)

The operator of the Redbox video rental kiosks slashed its third-quarter and full-year earnings forecast as average transaction size fell below its expectations due to higher discounts, sending its shares down 20 percent.

** LLOYDS BANKING GROUP PLC, $4.77, down 3.4 pct (09:38 ET)

** BARCLAYS PLC (LSE: BARC.L - news) , $18.87, down 2.73 pct (10:00 ET)

Britain could have sold the 6 percent stake in the banking group it placed with investment institutions nearly three times over, sources said, raising the prospect it could sell all its shares before the 2015 General Election.

** MOSAIC CO, $45.59, down 1 pct (10:01 a.m. ET)

** POTASH CORP, $33, down 1 pct (10:02 a.m. ET)

** AGRIUM INC (Toronto: AGU.TO - news) , $91.86, down 1 pct (10:01 a.m. ET)

Mosaic, a U.S. fertilizer company, cut its third-quarter outlook for the price and sales volume of potash and phosphate on Monday, saying crop nutrient markets had softened in the wake of the breakup of the Belarusian Potash Company.

Brokerage Canaccord Genuity cut price target on Mosaic and Potash stocks on Tuesday saying they expect volatility in fertilizer volumes to continue through the fourth quarter.

The breakup of BPC in July and the decision by the main player Uralkali OAO to pursue a volume-first strategy weakened potash prices and caused some buyers to delay new purchases because of uncertainty. BPC was one of the world's two biggest potash trading companies, along with North America's Canpotex Ltd - owned by Mosaic, Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc and Agrium Inc.

** SWIFT TRANSPORTATION CO, $19.61, down 3 pct (10:04 ET)

The truckload carrier said it expects adjusted earnings for the third quarter to be 27 to 30 cents per share. Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 31 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

** CHICO'S FAS INC, $17.29, up 5 pct (09:36 a.m. ET)

KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded its rating on the women's apparel retailer's stock to "buy" from "hold," according to Theflyonthewall.com.

** EZCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR LTD (NasdaqGS: EZCH - news) , Monday close $22.24, up 5 pct premarket

Cisco Systems Inc (NasdaqGS: CSCO - news) intends to continue using EZchip processors in all its routers that currently use its technology, the company clarified in a statement after reports on Thursday suggested that Cisco may replace EZchip processors in its routers with a new programmable network processor chip.

** DENDREON CORP (NasdaqGS: DNDN - news) , $3.98, up 9 pct (9:39 a.m. ET)

The biotechnology company said the the European Commission granted marketing approval to its prostate cancer vaccine, Provenge.

The company said the vaccine is approved in all 28 countries of the European Union as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

** MICROSOFT CORP, $33.18, up 1 pct (9:36 a.m. ET)

The software maker said it would buy back up to $40 billion of its shares and raise its quarterly dividend by 22 percent. The new share repurchase program, which has no expiration date, replaces a $40 billion buyback program that was set to expire on Sept. 30.

** NEOSTEM INC (NasdaqCM: NBS - news) , $8.87, up 6 pct (9:32 a.m. ET)

The specialty pharmaceutical company said an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board recommended that the company continue with a mid-stage trial of its heart drug after a third review.

The drug, AMR-001, is being tested to preserve heart function after a severe heart attack.

** PERION NETWORK LTD (NasdaqGM: PERI - news) , $12.29, up 5 pct (9:42 a.m. ET)

Benchmark Co raised its price target on the Israeli consumer internet company's stock to $19 from $16, a day after Perion said it would merge with privately held Conduit's "client connect" business in an all-stock deal.

The brokerage said the deal was a "significant positive" for Perion. "Perion will continue to gain scale and efficiencies in the near-term, although Perion must continually invest in customer acquisition to maintain its user base and drive further revenue growth," analyst Daniel Kurnos said in a note.

** WERNER ENTERPRISES (NasdaqGS: WERN - news) , $23.09, down 5 pct (9:43 a.m. ET)

The transportation company forecast a third-quarter profit below analysts' expectations, citing lower gains on equipment sales and higher driver and maintenance costs. RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock to "sector perform" from "outperform" and KeyBanc Capital Markets downgraded it to "hold" from "buy", according to theflyonthewall.com.

** BIG 5 SPORTING GOODS CORP, $16.50, down 3 pct (9:43 a.m. ET)

Brokerage Piper Jaffray cut its rating on the sports goods retailer's stock to "neutral" from "overweight," theflyonthewall reported.

** AEROPOSTALE INC (NYSE: ARO - news) , $10.11, up 17 pct (9:44 a.m. ET)

Sycamore Partners reported a 7.96 percent holding in the teen apparel retailer as of Sept. 9. (http://r.reuters.com/far23v)

** NUCOR CORP, $49.96, up 2 pct (09:55 a.m. ET)

Steelmaker Nucor Corp said third-quarter earnings may rise from a year earlier, helped in part by some improvement in demand, as well as supply disruptions experienced by its competitors. The company said it expects third-quarter earnings of between 35 and 40 cents a share, compared with earnings of 35 cents per share a year ago.

(Compiled by Varun Aggarwal)