US HOT STOCKS: Louisiana-Pacific, Pozen, US Airways, Walgreen -2-

    Construction-materials maker Louisiana-Pacific Corp. (LPX, $17.27, +$2.01, +13.17%) agreed to acquire Ainsworth Lumber Co. (ANS.T) in a roughly $1.1 billion deal expected to help it capitalize on the U.S. housing recovery and improve its access to Asia. The proposed deal values Ainsworth at $3.76 Canadian dollars or $3.59 USD a share, a 30% premium to its Tuesday closing price.

    Nordion Inc.'s (NDZ, $8.05, +$0.20, +2.55%)(NDN.T, $8.05, +$0.20, +2.55%) fiscal third-quarter profit surged, thanks to the sale of one of its business units, while revenue and adjusted earnings beat Wall Street's expectations.

    Mitcham Industries Inc. (MIND, $15.04, -$1.88, -11.11%) swung to a fiscal second-quarter loss as equipment-leasing revenue continued to decline. Results missed analysts' estimates.

    Parkway Properties Inc. (PKY, $16.45, +$0.08, +0.49%) agreed to buy Thomas Properties Group Inc. (TPGI, $6.15, +$0.45, +7.89%) for about $292 million in stock, a deal that allows the real-estate investment trust to expand its footprint in Houston and Austin. Under the terms of the deal, shareholders will get about 0.4 share of Parkway in exchange for each share of Thomas, for an implied per-share price of $6.26, marking a 9.8% premium to Wednesday's close.

    Sanofi (SNY, $47.85, -$0.09, -0.19%) and Pozen Inc. (POZN, $5.75, +$0.46, +8.70%) signed a license agreement to commercialize Pozen's aspirin therapies, which are being developed to reduce gastric ulcers for cardiovascular patients.

    Sigma Designs Inc.'s (SIGM, $5.50, +$0.34, +6.59%) fiscal-second-quarter loss narrowed as the chip maker's expenses dropped, offsetting a decrease in revenue.

    Tenneco Inc. (TEN, $48.57, +$0.66, +1.38%) intends to close its ride performance plant in Gijon, Spain, and decomplex its ride performance plant in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, moves the auto-parts maker said are needed to address weak macroeconomic conditions in Europe.

    Titan Machinery Inc.'s (TITN, $16.90, -$0.22, -1.29%) fiscal-second-quarter profit dropped 26% as the agricultural and construction-equipment retailer logged higher costs that offset broad revenue growth. The company also warned that the back half of the year would be challenging and lowered its fiscal-year outlook.

    US Airways Group Inc. (LCC, $17.04, +$0.23, +1.37%) reported its passenger traffic rose 5.6% in August amid increases across its domestic, Atlantic and Latin segments.

    Walgreen Co.'s (WAG, $50.52, +$1.03, +2.08%) August same-store sales rose a higher-than-expected 4.8% as the drugstore chain posted stronger sales growth in its pharmacy than in its front end.

    Write to Anna Prior at