Nordson Corp., which makes equipment that applies adhesives, sealants and coatings to food and beverage packaging, autos and appliances, said Thursday its third-quarter profit dipped 26 percent as orders declined, but the results still beat Wall Street expectations and the company issued a better-than-expected forecast for the rest of the year.

U.S.business software maker Salesforce.com Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly results and raised its outlook for the full year, sending its shares up 9 percent on Thursday.

An Oklahoma judge ruled Thursday that Chesapeake Energy Corp. won’t have to open its books to a shareholders’ group, a victory for the company in its defense of a $75 million bonus awarded to CEO Aubrey McClendon last December.

Shares of JDS Uniphase Corp. climbed after the communications equipment maker posted a smaller-than-expected loss for its fiscal fourth quarter.

Once a mainstay in American shopping culture, the parent of Sears and Kmart stores took another step backward Thursday, announcing a surprising second-quarter loss that dimmed hopes about the ailing merchant’s future.

Once a mainstay in American shopping culture, the parent of Sears and Kmart stores took another step backward Thursday, announcing a surprising second-quarter loss that dimmed hopes about the ailing merchant’s future.

Stocks rose for a third straight session on Thursday with financial stocks leading gains after U.S. manufacturing data and a rebound in Chinese stocks reassured investors.

The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange:

Shares of JDS Uniphase Corp. climbed Thursday after the communications equipment maker posted a smaller-than-expected loss for its fiscal fourth quarter.

Shares of ReneSola Ltd. jumped on Thursday on news that the Chinese solar maker scored an exclusive right to develop a $706 million, 150 megawatt solar power plant in China.