U.S. stocks climbed, as new budget-stabilizing plans out of Greece reassured investors, who were also cheered by a smaller-than-expected drop in private-sector jobs and a report of faster expansion in the services sector.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 26 points to 10432, the S&P 500 rose 4 points to 1122 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 6 points to 2287.

Drug company PSivida Corp. (NASDAQ:PSDV, $3.57, +$0.29, 8.84%) provided additional efficacy and safety data from its late-stage trial of its Iluvien opthamalic treatment for diabetic macular edema, which can cause vision loss.

Copano Energy LLC (NASDAQ:CPNO, $23.35, -$0.83, -3.42%) slightly raised the minimum size of its planned equity sale as it was priced at a 4.5% discount to Tuesday’s closing price. The natural-gas processor on Tuesday announced plans to sell at least 6.3 million units to raise money for credit-line repayment, but the minimum was raised Wednesday morning to 6.5 million.

Apparel company Maidenform Brands Inc. (NYSE:MFB, $19.45, +$1.55, 8.66%) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and announced its share repurchase authorization has been increased by $37.5 million, bringing the total size to $50 million.

DineEquity Inc.’s (NYSE:DIN, $33.49, +$3.87, 13.07%) fourth-quarter loss narrowed on smaller-write downs and expenses, with adjusted numbers walloping analyst estimates as the restaurant operator continued to pay down debt and improve margins while sales at Applebee’s stores improved.

Maxim Group cut its rating on LCA-Vision Inc. (NASDAQ:LCAV, $7.74, -$0.97, -11.14%) to sell from hold, saying the recent run up in the laser vision correction provider’s shares is unwarranted. “Poor procedure volume trends indicate the business model still hasn’t stabilized and procedure volume continues to deteriorate, in our opinion,” the firm said.

Raymond James started Frontier Oil Corp. (NYSE:FTO, $13.19, +$0.61, 4.89%) at outperform, saying the energy company, which refines crude and markets petroleum products, has operational flexibility as one of its defining features, illustrated through “consistent top-tier profitability.” The company is in a position to weather near-term refining headwinds and also to post solid longer-term earnings generation in a more normalized environment, the firm wrote.

Jakks Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK, $11.92, -$0.58, -4.64%) swung to a fourth-quarter loss as the company stumbled on weak holiday sales and a tepid consumer response to its product lines. The toy maker also announced co-Chief Executive Jack Friedman will step down from the post. The company issued disappointing guidance for current-quarter revenue and 2010 results. Revenue for the fourth quarter also missed estimates.

Wedbush cut its rating on personal-care products and household-products company Helen of Troy Corp. (NASDAQ:HELE, $23.98, -$1.90, -7.34%) to underperform from outperform, saying it expects sharply increasing plastic resin prices, combined with rising advertising rates, will pressure operating margins and partly offset gains in the housewares business.

via ub-news.com