Unilever Rises On Industry Consolidation Talks; Willbros Group Receives $400 Million In New Pipeline Contracts

Stocks edged higher early Wednesday morning after yesterday's harsh selloff. Investors are cautious ahead of earnings from biotech leader Genentech and fast-food chain operator Yum Brands Inc. 

Wednesday had its share of winners, and the following leaders have high PowerRatings (for Investors). A rating of 10 is highest, and our data from 1995 through 2006 show that on days that stocks had a PowerRating of 10 they returned 20.2% over the next year.

• Willbros Group Inc. (WG@WG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) jumped 6.9% Wedneday morning to $32.19. WG has a high PowerRating of 8. Willbros Group received several contracts worth between $350 million to $400 million. Willbros is an independent contractor serving the oil, gas, and power industries worldwide. The contracts included pipeline construction between Oklahoma and Texas starting in 2008 and pipleline and civil works for Suncor in Canada's Fort McMurray region. WG has a market cap of $800 million and its shares are up 69% year-to-date.

• Unilever (UN@UN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) gained 4.5% Wednesday morning to $34.62. Unilever shares rose on talk that Dutch rival Numico's CEO Jan Bennink and CFO Jean-Marc Huet may join the company. Shares are also up on sector consolidation talk. Numico received a $16.8 billion cash offer from French competitor Danone. UN has a high PowerRating of 9 and a market capitalization of $54 billion.

• AstraZeneca (AZN@AZN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) moved higher by 2.9% on Wednesday to $54.91. AZN received an upgrade this morning from Morgan Stanley to Overweight from Equal Weight. Analysts noted that the market has underestimated the company's near- and long-term earnings potential. AstraZeneca is a worldwide leader in pharmaceuticals and has a market capitalization of $82 billion. AZN's PowerRating is 8.