• Career Education Corp.’s (NASDAQ:CECO) shares gained 7.43% after the for-profit educator reported a first-quarter profit topping estimates on Wednesday

• Trucking company Con-way Inc.’s (NYSE:CNW) shares rose 5.16% to close at $39.54 after the company reported first-quarter profits beating the Street’s expectations

• INC Research LLC said it would buy clinical research group Kendle International Inc. (NASDAQ:KNDL) for $232 million, or $15.25 a share

• Shares of Warner Music Group Corp.’s (NYSE:WMG) rallied 6.47% after a report on late Wednesday from The Wall Street Journal said industrial magnate Len Blavatnik of Access Industries Inc. was the leading bidder for the recorded-music company

• Analysts at RBC Capital initiated coverage on Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp. (NYSE:ANH) with an “Outperform” rating and with a price target of $8.00 on the stock

• Analysts at Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on EV Energy Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:EVEP) with an “Outperform” rating and with a price target of $65.00 on the stock

• Analysts at Raymond James initiated coverage on First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) with a “Market perform” rating on the stock

• Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) initiated coverage on Micron Technology, Inc. (NYSE:MU) with a “Neutral” rating on the stock

• Analysts at JMP Securities initiated coverage on shares of Neoprobe Corporation. (AMEX:NEOP) setting an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $7.00