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U.S. stocks opened marginally higher on Monday with the main indexes trading near record levels as investors returned from the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Retailers were in focus amid Cyber Monday shopping. The S&P 500 opened nearly unchanged at 2,602. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat at 23,556. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index was little changed at to 6,886. Among the best performers on Wall Street were retailers. Shares of Gap Inc. jumped 2.6%, while Macy’s Inc and Target Corp rose about 1%.

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Shares of Barracuda Networks Inc. surged 16% in premarket trade Monday, after the company said it has agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm Thoma Bravo in an all-cash deal valued at $1.6 billion. Thoma Bravo will pay $27.55 per Barracuda share, equal to a premium of 22.5% over the company’s 10-day average stock price before Nov. 28. The deal is expected to close before the end of the company’s fiscal year end of Feb. 28, 2018. Barracuda will operate a privately held company with a focus on email security, network and application security and data protection. Shares have gained 11% in 2017 through Friday, while the S&P 500 has gained 16%.

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Shares of beleaguered magazine publisher Time Inc. were up more than 9% in premarket trade on Monday after Meredith Corp. , which publishes “Better Homes & Gardens,” proposed a deal over the weekend to buy Time in an acquisition valued at $2.8 billion. Shares of Meredith Corp. were up more than 8% in premarket trade. The deal, which has financial backing from the Koch brothers, comes amid a shift at Time to focus more on video as the company’s print business continues to suffer. Time has said it plans to target more than $400 million in cost savings as it sells off assets and focuses on its core brands. Shares of Time Inc. are down more than 5% in the year to date, while Meredith Corp. shares are up more than 3%. By comparison, the S&P 500 index is up more than 16% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up more than 19% during the same time frame.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Alkermes PLC shares rose 5.8% in premarket trade Monday on news of the company’s partnership with Biogen Inc. on the multiple sclerosis drug ALKS 8700. Biogen shares were not active in premarket trade. Under the agreement, Alkermes will receive $28 million upfront — which represents Biogen’s share of development costs in 2017 — and is eligible for up to $200 million in clinical and regulatory achievements. Biogen will pay for ALKS 8700 development expenses starting in 2018 and will be responsible for the therapy’s commercialization. The company also expects to register an initial milestone payment of $50 million as an expense this year, according to the agreement. ALKS 8700 is in late-stage clinical development to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Alkermes shares have risen 1.3% over the last three months and Biogen shares have risen 8.4%, compared with a 6.5% rise in the S&P 500 .

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. shares declined 2% in premarket trade Monday after the company said that results from two phase 2 trials studying its combination therapy did not support advancing the program into phase 3 trials. The two trials studied the combination of eye medication Eylea and nesvacumab in diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration, both serious eye diseases. Both studies aimed to find out if the combination — which is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Bayer worked better than Eylea on its own, but the results “did not provide sufficient differentiation to warrant Phase 3 development,” Regeneron said. Regeneron shares have dropped 19.5% to $384.85 over the last three months, compared with a 6.5% rise in the S&P 500 and an 8% rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average .

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. said Monday it is raising its quarterly dividend to 8.50 cents a share from 7.50 cents. The new dividend will be paid Jan. 31, 2018 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 3. Shares were not yet active premarket, but have gained 22% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 16%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Shares of Marathon Patent Group Inc. , an intellectual property licensing and management company, surged more than 30% in premarket trade Monday, as bitcoin surged to a fresh high close to $10,000. Marathon is viewed as a cryptocurrency play, since it acquired mining company Global Bit Ventures Inc. in early November. “We believe the acquisition of Global Bit Ventures will take advantage of an ongoing revolution in digital transactions conducted on blockchains as we see increasing adoption and proliferation of blockchain protocols in our everyday lives,” Chief Executive Doug Croxall said when announcing the deal. Last week, the company reported results for its third quarter, that showed a narrowing of its net and operating losses. The stock has fallen 13.5% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 16%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Lowe’s Cos. shares rose 0.5% in premarket trade Monday, after Raymond James upgraded the stock to outperform from market perform following the company’s third-quarter earnings. “Lowe’s shares are more attractive (versus historical levels) on a forward multiple basis – specifically versus its primary retail competitor and the overall market (S&P 500),” analyst Budd Bugatch wrote in a note. “In addition, underlying industry indicators, as well as comments from key industry suppliers, remain generally supportive of the home improvement industry moving into 2018.” Rising wages and house price appreciation are expected to encourage homeowners to take on small home-improvement projects as well as spending on maintenance and repairs, said the analyst. Lowe’s shares have gained 11.4% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 16%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Sears Holdings Corp. said Monday that Sears and Kmart stores are offering free home delivery for online purchases worth more than $399 through Monday, Dec. 25. The move is part of a number of special offers the department-store chain is offering for the holiday season, including discounts on appliances, cashback and points on purchases made with a Sears credit card. Sears shares were not yet active premarket, but are down 58% in 2017, while the S&P 500 has gained 16%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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Alkermes PLC shares rose 2.4% in premarket trade Monday on news of the company’s partnership with Biogen Inc. on the multiple sclerosis drug ALKS 8700. Biogen shares rose 0.6% in premarket trade. Under the agreement, Alkermes will receive $28 million upfront — which represents Biogen’s share of development costs in 2017 — and is eligible for up to $200 million in clinical and regulatory achievements. Biogen will pay for ALKS 8700 development expenses starting in 2018 and will be responsible for the therapy’s commercialization. The company also expects to register an initial milestone payment of $50 million as an expense this year, according to the agreement. ALKS 8700 is in late-stage clinical development to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Alkermes shares have risen 1.3% over the last three months and Biogen shares have risen 8.4%, compared with a 6.5% rise in the S&P 500 .

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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