True Religion Accepts Bids and 3 Morning Hot Stocks Sparking Chatter

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) announced plans to acquire closely held Cariden Technologies Inc which provides network planning and traffic management solutions for telecom operators. “Given the widespread convergence of IP and optical networks, Cariden’s technology will help carriers more efficiently manage bandwidth, network traffic and intelligence,” said Surya Panditi, senior vice president and general manager Cisco’s service provider networking group. Cisco will pay about $141 million in cash and incentives for acquisition of all shares of Cariden.

Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) cushions the impact of its new pricing for the Model S by saying it was the first increase in four years and constituted only half the rate of inflation. The base price is increased from $57,400 to $59,900 before federal tax credits, and will be effective for bookings from January 1, 2013.

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According to the New York Post, high-end jeans maker True Religion (NASDAQ:TRLG) accepted first round bids for the acquisition of the company this week, and a number of PE firms figure in the bidders list. Carlyle Group, Apax Partners, Leonard Green & Partners and Advent International (jointly with company director Marcelo Bottoli) are reported to be in the fray.

Ross Stores Inc (NASDAQ:ROST) reported that November sales increased 6% to $813 million, while comparable store sales were up 2%. For December and January, the company projects comparative sales gains of 2% to 3% and 1% to 2% respectively.

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