GM Profit Falls 82% Amid Recall 

General Motors' 1Q results fell 82% to $557 million, but far exceeded Wall Street expectations, as the push to sell cars and trucks at higher prices in North America helped the auto maker offset the cost of model recalls.

 
 Verizon Profit Increases on Subscriber Additions 

Verizon Communications said its profit for the first three months of the year grew to $3.95 billion, or $1.15 a share, as the telecommunications giant continued to boost its base of wireless and Internet customers.

 
 UPS Profit Slides on Harsh Weather 

United Parcel Service posted a lower 1Q profit of $911 million, or 98 cents a share, pointing to unusually harsh weather that increased its expenses and slowed its revenue growth. Revenue rose to $13.8 billion.

 
 Zimmer to Buy Biomet for $13.35 Billion 

Zimmer Holdings agreed to buy fellow orthopedic device maker Biomet for about $13.35 billion in cash and stock, in a bid to position the combined company as a leader in the musculoskeletal industry. Zimmer shares rose 11% premarket.

 
 Barclays Warns of Lower First-Quarter Profit 

Barclays said that a continuing slowdown in fixed-income trading would push adjusted first-quarter profit lower than in the same quarter last year.

 
 Unilever First-Quarter Sales Fall 

The consumer-products giant Unilever reported a fall in first-quarter sales as currency weakness across emerging markets continued to weigh on its performance.

 
 Raytheon Beats Forecasts 

Raytheon delivered a forecast-beating 21% rise in 1Q profit, though left its full-year guidance unchanged as it wrapped a bullish set of reports from the largest U.S. defense contractors. Net profit rose to $600 million, or $1.89 a share.

 
 Alstom Denies GE Takeover Bid 

Alstom said it wasn't aware of any potential takeover bid for the company from General Electric. Alstom was responding to a report by Bloomberg, which said the U.S. firm was in takeover talks with the French engineer.

 
 Sinopec Taps Banks for Asset Sale 

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., China's largest oil refiner, said it appointed banks to handle the sale of part of its retail assets, which include thousands of gas stations and convenience stores.

 
 AstraZeneca Dented by Generic Competition 

AstraZeneca PLC's profits fell sharply in the first quarter, dented by generic competition to its drugs, higher research, development and sales expenses, and foreign-exchange movements.

 
 Nokia's India Plant May Not Transfer to Microsoft 

Unable to solve an Indian tax dispute, Nokia said it is unlikely that it would be able to include a phone plant in a wider deal to transfer its phone business to Microsoft.

 
 Pernod Ricard Seeks U.S. Aquisitions 

France's Pernod Ricard said it is looking to bolster its presence in the U.S. with further acquisitions to make up for faltering growth in some emerging markets.