Consumer Business Review: Martha Stewart CHATTER, Avis BENEFITS From Hertz-Dollar Thrifty Linkup

New chatter has it that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE:MSO) recruited Blackstone in 2011 to help the company sell itself, but the finished plan was turned down by Martha Stewart herself, according to the Wall Street Journal. Stewart instead chose additional shakeups in management, along with an unfortunate partnering with J.C. Penney & Co. (NYSE:JCP) which is still mired in legal actions.

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Although a research study suggests that the use of e-cigarettes does not increase the risk of heart disease, sales in the new sub-sector haven’t realized the rosy forecasts put out by tobacco companies. Nonetheless, UBS still predicts more than $500 million in revenue being generated in 2012, which could benefit big tobacco players such as Lorillard, Inc. (NYSE:LO), and Phillip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM).

Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAR) shares moved higher Monday, probably thanks to near-completion of the long-anticipated merger between Dollar Thrifty and Hertz, as Avis should benefit from consolidation of the industry, says MKM Partners.

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