SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — Transurban Group on Tuesday reported a 25% rise in first-half profit driven by increased toll revenue and lower costs, while maintaining its full year distribution guidance. The Australian toll road company’s net profit for the six months to Dec. 31 rose to A$93.2 million from A$74.7 million a year earlier. Proportional earnings before interest, tax, depreciation... 

Ardent Mines has positioned itself to develop low cost gold mining operations in Brazil, a mining friendly jurisdiction. Ardent Mines owns a 100% interest in Gold Hills Mining Ltda., which in turn owns mineral rights on 3,500 Hectares, covering a highly-mineralized vein containing high grades of gold. Ardent Mines also exercised its exclusive option to acquire the mineral rights on the Serra do Sereno... 

TAIPEI -(MarketWatch)- Chunghwa Telecom Co. , Taiwan’s largest telecommunications operator by subscribers, plans to expand its workforce by around 8% this year to tap into new business opportunities brought on by the closer economic ties between Taiwan and China, the company’s Chief Executive Shyue-ching Lu said Saturday. Lu said the company plans to add 2,000 staff this year to boost its... 

Micron Technology Inc. MU -2.14% announced Mark Durcan, 51, had been appointed chief executive replacing Steven Appleton, who was killed Friday when the small plane he was piloting crashed at an airport near the company headquarters in Boise, Idaho. Durcan had been Micron’s president and chief operating officer. On Saturday he was also appointed to the company’s board of directors. Micron’s... 

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Corning Inc. GLW -0.52% reiterated its long-term sales forecast, but said it will hit the target by growing businesses outside of its stalling liquid-crystal-display glass operation. Corning’s prediction, ahead of its annual investor meeting in New York on Friday, signals confidence that it can grow its top line by selling more fiber-optic cable, smartphone cover... 

Aeropostale Inc. ARO +0.84% named Karin Hirtler-Garvey its chairman, succeeding Julian R. Geiger who has stepped down from the position. Hirtler-Garvey has been a member of the youth-focused apparel retailer’s board since August 2005 and has served as chairman of the board’s audit committee as well as the company’s lead independent director. She most recently served as the chief risk... 

Fiserv Inc.’s FISV -1.16% fourth-quarter earnings rose 23% due to higher revenue in its main business segments. For the new year, the company forecast earnings of $5.04 to $5.20 a share on revenue growth of 4% to 6%, bracketing the $5.11 and 5% estimates from analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. The company, which provide information technology to the financial and insurance industries, has... 

TOKYO (MarketWatch) — Panasonic Corp. is expecting a record Y700 billion net loss for the current fiscal year ending in March well in excess of its existing forecast for a Y420 billion loss, the Mainichi Shimbun reported in its Friday morning edition. The electronics and domestic appliance giant will revise its forecast to reflect a large one-off booking of goodwill for its acquisition of Sanyo... 

SYDNEY -(MarketWatch)- Newmont Mining Corp. NEM -0.03% is in final talks with two overseas parties on the sale of Australian assets containing more than 1.2 billion metric tons of thermal coal, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. Newmont hopes to conclude the sale of the undeveloped Felton East/West and Lochbar/Bringalily South tenements in Queensland state’s Clarence-Moreton Basin... 

Fortinet Inc.’s FTNT +8.72% fourth-quarter earnings climbed 2.2% as the network-security company again reported double-digit billings growth. Shares jumped 8.7% after hours Tuesday to $24.79 on the stronger-than-expected results. The company posted a profit of $16.5 million, or 10 cents a share, up from $16.1 million, also 10 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding stock-based compensation costs...