Industrials

By Lynn Adler

By Tim Hepher and Cyril Altmeyer

By Nick Zieminski

Starbucks said it will raise the price on its packaged coffee in the U.S. by an average of 17% due to rising commodity costs.

Dean Foods' first-quarter profit fell 41%, but beat estimates, and the company raised its current-year earnings forecast. 

By Toni Clarke

The Omaha-based maker of brands such as Slim Jim, Snack pack, Egg Beaters and PAM bid $86 a share, which represents a 31.7% premium to Ralcorp’s closing price on March 21, the day ConAgra sent over its initial $82 proposal. It offers only a 3% premium to its close on Tuesday.

Dunkin' Brands Group filed to raise up to $400 million in an initial public offering.

Molson Coors Brewing Co reported a drop in quarterly net earnings on Tuesday, from the year-earlier period when it recorded a one-time gain.

BANGALORE (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc agreed to acquire specialty chemical company Lubrizol Corp for $9 billion for cash, making it one of the largest acquisitions in its history.

(Changes dateline, adds comments from Geneva)

ATLANTA (Reuters) - American Airlines parent AMR Corp said passenger unit revenue rose about 4.5 percent to 5 percent in the first two months of this year compared with a year before.

Johnson & Johnson said it was recalling more than 700,000 packages of Tylenol and other consumer medicines made at a now-closed plant.

Caterpillar CEO Douglas Oberhelman criticized the business climate in Illinois, while downplaying reports the company might leave. 

By Michael Erman and Ben Berkowitz

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's leading heir apparent David Sokol resigned from Berkshire Hathaway , and Buffett said in a statement on Wednesday that Sokol bought shares in a company he later pushed Buffett to purchase.

Stronger demand in Latin America propelled Caterpillar machinery sales in the three-month period through February.

(Corrects spelling of name in paragraph 2 to Lian)

Agilent reported Friday that its operations in Japan remain unaffected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that ripped through the northeast part of the country.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Industrial conglomerate 3M Co said on Thursday all 2,700 employees in its majority-owned Japan joint venture are safe and its facilities suffered only minor damage, and it is ramping up production of safety-related products.