Banco Pastor, Sanofi-Aventis, Volkswagen, Pastor: European Equity Preview

The following companies’ shares may have unusual moves in European trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses and prices are from the last close.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.6 percent to 255.97. The Stoxx 50 Index climbed 0.4 percent to 2,472.48. The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, a benchmark for nations using the euro, rose 0.2 percent to 2,719.13.

BP Plc (BP/ LN): The oil company’s Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward is discussing his departure from the company with its board after a leak at one of its Gulf of Mexico wells caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history, two people familiar with the matter said. The stock fell 0.4 percent to 398.6 pence.

Banco Pastor SA (PAS SM): The lender narrowly passed the European stress test on banks with Tier 1 capital ratio under the sovereign shock scenario of 6 percent, according to data published by the Bank of Spain. The threshold for passing the test was a Tier 1 ratio of 6 percent. The shares fell 0.3 percent to 3.88 euros ($5.01).

Banco Popolare SC (BP IM): The bank, which was one of the five Italian lenders that passed the stress tests, will sell some “non-strategic” assets during the second half of the year to improve its Tier 1 capital ratio, Chief Executive Officer Pierfrancesco Saviotti said in an interview with il Sole 24 Ore newspaper. The shares fell 1.4 percent to 4.59 euros.

Baywa AG (BYW6 GY): The German farm-products and building- materials company expects its half-year operating profit to rise from a year earlier, WirtschaftsWoche reported, citing Chief Executive Officer Klaus Josef Lutz. The shares fell 1.3 percent to 27.6 euros.

Centrica Plc (CNA LN): The U.K.’s biggest energy supplier is in early-stage talks with International Power Plc about buying some of its power plants, the Mail on Sunday said, citing an unidentified person. The stock rose 0.9 percent to 314.5 pence.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA GY): Europe’s second-biggest airline plans to increase the seating capacity in its planes by using thinner backrests and reducing the kitchen size, Spiegel magazine reported, citing a company spokeswoman. The shares rose 2.4 percent to 12.48 euros.

GDF Suez SA (GSZ FP): International Power Plc’s largest shareholder, Invesco Ltd., supports the French utility’s bid to gain control of its London-based peer, the Financial Times said. Shares in GDF advanced 0.2 percent to 25.31 euros.

Nedbank Group Ltd. (NED SJ): HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc are in talks to buy Old Mutual’s 52 percent stake in Nedbank, the Financial Times reported. Nedbank shares rose 92 cents, or 0.7 percent, to 137.26 rand.

Sanofi-Aventis SA (SAN FP): France’s biggest drugmaker made a takeover approach to Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Genzyme Corp., the largest maker of medicines for genetic diseases, about two weeks ago, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The Paris-based company’s shares fell 4.3 percent to 45.51 euros.

Volkswagen AG (VOW GY): Audi AG, Volkswagen AG’s luxury-car brand, expects record car sales this year, Automobilwoche reported, citing an interview with Chief Executive Officer Rupert Stadler. This year’s sales will “significantly” exceed 1 million cars to reach a record level, Stadler was quoted as saying. The shares rose 0.4 percent to 74.15 euros.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Borise in New York sborise1@bloomberg.net.

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