Optimism over a possible consolidation in the office supplies sector lifted the markets to a higher close with the Dow gaining 53 points to 14,035. Nasdaq climbed 21 points to 3213.
On the upside
Proactive Investors Australia reported that Novogen's (Nasdaq: NVGN) ovarian cancer treatment CS-6 was effective.
F.N.B. (Nasdaq: FNB) will acquire PVF Capital (Nasdaq: PVFC) in an all stock deal valued at approximately $106.4 million.
Morgan Stanley initiated coverage of Infinity Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: INFI) with an Overweight rating and a price target of $47.
On the downside
GMX Resources (NYSE: GMX) provided an update for its 2012 year-end reserves.
Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI) blamed higher expenses and an impairment charge for lower fourth quarter earnings that fell short of analyst expectations.
Daktronics (Nasdaq: DAKT) reported higher fourth quarter earnings but the results missed analyst expectations.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of more than 2 to 1 on both the NYSE and on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 index climbed 11 points to 1530.