Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of the following companies may have unusual moves in U.S. trading on Aug. 24. Stock symbols are in parentheses.

American Capital Ltd. (ACAS US): The manager of private equity, real estate and other investments had its debt rating reduced three levels, to B- from BB-, by Standard & Poor’s, which cited “accelerated deterioration” in the company’s earnings.

Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARIA US) rose 9 percent to $2.31. The drugmaker persuaded a U.S. appeals court to reconsider an April ruling that invalidated parts of a patent it used to get a $65.2 million verdict against Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY US)

Bank of America Corp. (BAC US): The lender, which has lost 10 directors through resignations or retirement since April, elected former Morgan Stanley executive Robert Scully to its board, which now has 14 members.

Boeing Co. (BA US): The world’s second-biggest commercial- jet builder won a $1.16 billion U.S. military contract to support the C-17 Globemaster program, the Pentagon said.

CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS US): The largest U.S. retail pharmacy chain may rise as more branded drugs become available as generics and its pharmacy-benefit management business improves, Barron’s said. CVS shares rose 70 cents to $35.72 on Aug. 21 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

Electro-Optical Sciences Inc. (MELA US): The developer of a handheld scanner designed to detect melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer, may rise as much as 50 percent if the device wins U.S. regulatory approval, Barron’s said. Electro-Optical shares rose 28 cents to $7.92 on Aug. 21 in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading.

Expedia Inc., Priceline.com Inc. and Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (EXPE US, PCLN US, OWW US): Shares of the online booking companies may fall as customers abandon some travel plans and if swine flu re-emerges, Barron’s reported.

Priceline.com rose 69 cents to $153.56 in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading on Aug. 21; Expedia rose 30 cents to $22.90 in Nasdaq trading, and Orbitz rose 32 cents to $6.35 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

Google Inc. (GOOG US): Apple Inc. (AAPL US), the iPhone maker, said it has not rejected the Google Voice application and continues to study it.

Morgan Stanley (MS US): The bank is considering various options for its Van Kampen Investments group, and was approached about a deal involving the unit, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD US): The biggest U.S. department-store company may fall by as much as 50 percent after cost-cutting by Chairman Edward Lampert didn’t produce the desired profitability improvements, Barron’s said, citing Morgan Stanley analyst Gregory Melich. Sears shares rose $1.02 to $66.20 on Aug. 21 in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lu Wang in New York at lwang8@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 23, 2009 11:39 EDT