Cowen Group Inc.’s COWN +0.41% first-quarter earnings jumped from a weak year-earlier quarter as the financial services firm saw fewer expenses. The company reduced non-compensation expenses sequentially, and achieved its run-rate full-year cost reduction target for the quarter, said Chief Executive Peter Cohen. “While we have more work to do, the results for the first quarter show progress,”... 

SEOUL (MarketWatch) — SK Hynix Inc. has decided to join in a final bid for Japan’s Elpida Memory Inc., local online news provider Edaily reported Friday, citing an unnamed SK Hynix source. “Today, Hynix will submit its proposal to join in the second [round] bidding to the lead manager Nomura,” the report said, quoting the unnamed SK Hynix official. The final auction will close... 

Kona Grill Inc. KONA 0.00% swung to a profit in its first-quarter as the company reported better-than-expected restaurant sales growth. Shares jumped 15% to $7.74 after hours as Kona Grill’s earnings easily topped the company’s estimates and as it issued an upbeat earnings forecast for the current quarter. Kona Grill expects second-quarter earnings of 14 cents a share, above the 10-cent... 

Helen of Troy Corp.’s HELE +4.25% fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 20% from a year-earlier period weighed down by impairment charges as the housewares and personal-care products company posted stronger-than-expected revenue, though margins declined. The company also forecast fiscal 2013 earnings of $3.80 to $3.90 a share on revenue of $1.3 billion to $1.33 billion, while analysts surveyed... 

Baidu Inc.’s BIDU -2.74% first-quarter earnings surged 76% as the Chinese Internet search giant’s revenue continued to surge. American depositary shares were still off 10% at $122 after hours as investors took a dim view toward a top line that was merely in-line with expectations. Baidu, which generates almost all its revenue from search advertising, has posted double-digit earnings growth... 

TOKYO (MarketWatch) — Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO) will not participate in the second round of bidding for failed chipmaker Elpida Memory, the Sankei Shimbun reported in its Tuesday morning edition. Noting that the bidding process won’t include a Japanese company, the paper said that the field has been narrowed down to South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc. HXSCF 0.00% , Micron Technology Inc. MU... 

Illumina Inc.’s ILMN -1.04% first-quarter earnings rose 8.6% as the diagnostics company posted a decline in expenses that offset a drop in revenue. The company also announced that its board approved a stock buyback of up to $250 million of its shares. Illumina recently had about 133.9 million shares outstanding. Illumina makes machines that use blood or tissue samples to decode a person’s... 

SINGAPORE -(MarketWatch)- Singapore conglomerate Keppel Corp. Ltd. said that unit Keppel Energy Pte. Ltd. has entered into a gas sales agreement with Petronas to import an additional 43 million cubic feet per day of natural gas from their various supply networks. In a filing to the Singapore Exchange late Friday, Keppel said that based on historical oil prices, the contract value is estimated to be... 

Extreme Networks Inc. EXTR +1.89% said its fiscal third-quarter results will miss its expectations due to the negative impacts of longer customer sales cycles, sales execution issues and challenging macroeconomic conditions in some regions. Shares slid 13% to $3.74 after hours as the Ethernet-network provider also lowered its full-year guidance. Extreme Networks sees full-year earnings of 22 cents... 

Moody’s Corp. MCO -2.44% has named former Pfizer Inc. PFE -0.51% chairman and chief executive Henry A. McKinnell Jr. as its new chairman, following the rating and analytics company’s decision earlier this year to separate the roles of chairman and CEO. Moody’s also said CEO Raymond McDaniel Jr. will also take on the title of president. McKinnell had served on Moody’s board since...