TARGET

Shoppers are spending cautiously because of higher food and gas prices, results reported on Wednesday by Target Corp and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc showed.

Shoppers are spending cautiously because of higher food and gas prices, quarterly results from Target Corp and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc showed on Wednesday.

Target Corp posted a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday, as soaring profitability in its credit card business mitigated the impact of some sluggish sales at its stores.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Safeguard Scientifics, Jaguar Mining, Analog Devices, Abercrombie & Fitch, NYSE Euronext, Titanium Metals, BJ's Wholesale Club, Target, Nvidia, Hewlett-Packard and Apollo Group.

The London Stock Exchange's shares rose sharply as analysts said the LSE could find itself vulnerable to a bid if its planned tie-up with Canada's TMX falls apart following a counter offer for TMX.

Jefferies & Co. upgraded its rating on shares of Demand Media Inc (NYSE: DMD) to buy from hold based on strong first quarter results, with a price target of $22.

Jefferies & Co. initiated coverage of AsiaInfo-Linkage, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASIA) with a buy rating and a price target of $27, implying 41 percent upside.

Jefferies & Co. upgraded its rating on shares of ValueClick Inc. (NASDAQ: VCLK) to buy from hold and increased its price target to $20 from $17, based on improving fundamentals and lower risk profile.

Jefferies & Co. raised its price target on shares of Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) to $47 from $42, while maintaining its hold rating. The brokerage raised its fiscal 2012 EPS estimate for Autodesk to $1.73 on revenue of $2.21 billion from $1.62 on revenue of $2.156 billion, and its 2013 estimate to $2.08 on revenue of $2.474 billion from $1.93 on revenue of $2.381 billion.

In the wake of Apple's iPhone tracking scandal, some government organizations have begun investigating allegations that Apple has intentionally tracked its customers.

FBR Capital Markets upgraded its rating on shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) to outperform from market perform with a price target of $43.

When the guy who runs the rival store up the road drops in for a visit, a lot of shop talk can be expected -- especially if that guy is Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke and you are running the only Target store for miles around.

Washington Democrats and Republicans have already generally agreed - though no official deal is in place - that the U.S. debt will grow by trillions of dollars over the next 10 years and that the pace of its growth must slow. How the government will cut deficits in the years to come is a matter of debate and Congress is undecided.

Yahoo Inc posted quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street targets, and its shares rose more than 3 percent as Chief Executive Carol Bartz said the number of users and time spent at Yahoo sites rose from a year ago.

Yahoo Inc posted quarterly revenue slightly ahead of Wall Street targets and shares rose 3 percent.

Price cuts from multiple vendors may signal that a successor to the Wii is around the corner.

Faced with an uneven world recovery and uncertain outlook, finance leaders were hoping on Friday to flesh out a plan to build a global economy less prone to the booms and busts of recent decades.

Google Inc's quarterly earnings missed Wall Street's target by a tad as operating expenses soared, sending its shares 5 percent lower.

General Electric Co, embroiled in controversy over its low 2010 U.S. tax bill, was the target of a bogus press release claiming that it would donate billions of dollars to the federal government.

Jefferies & Co. upgraded its rating on shares of Parametric Technology (NASDAQ: PMTC) to buy from hold and increased its price target to $28 from $25.

Bed Bath and Beyond Inc forecast earnings growth for the current year that would beat Wall Street estimates, following a holiday season that saw U.S. shoppers spend more on home goods, and its shares jumped 9 percent.