Compiled by Purnima Mudnal
Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle Group and France’s Zodiac SA are buying Irvine-based Water Pik Technologies Inc. for $380 million. The deal is expected to close in April Irvine-based Sage Software Inc., part of Britain’s Sage Group PLC, is buying Nashville, Tenn.-based Verus Financial Management Inc. for $325 million. Verus makes credit card and check processing software. The buy is set to close in February … Newport Beach-based real estate investor WCB Properties LP and UBS Realty Investors bought Santa Ana’s Xerox Centre for $77.5 million from Triple Net Properties LLC of Santa Ana Irvine’s ECC Capital Corp. plans to cut 440 jobs, or 27% of its workforce, amid tougher times for mortgage lenders. The company plans to combine seven processing centers into three by March.
Broadcom Corp.’s shares surged on expectations for its chips for Apple Computer Inc.’s video iPods. The news sent Broadcom’s shares to $20 billion in market value, a level they last saw in early 2001 A grand jury in San Jose charged former Broadcom engineer Suibin Zhang with theft and unauthorized downloading of trade secrets while at the chipmaker Newport Beach-based Acacia Research Corp. said it plans to spin off its CombiMatrix Corp. unit into an independent public company. Acacia expects to complete the spinoff in the second quarter … A Kaufman Bros. analyst gave Aliso Viejo-based QLogic Corp. an edge over rival Emulex Corp. of Costa Mesa in fourth-quarter sales of host bus adapters. The news sent QLogic’s shares up nearly 4% Shares of Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software Inc. climbed about 3% after a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analyst upgraded the stock. Quest is benefiting from product upgrades at Microsoft Corp. Tustin-based power supply maker Cherokee International Corp. said its 120,000-square-foot plant in Shanghai, China, is set to be operating by March.
Aliso Viejo-based software maker Medsphere Systems Corp. bought Clinical Informatics Associates Inc. in Indianapolis for undisclosed terms. Clinical Informatics provides software for hospitals and other healthcare providers San Clemente-based dental device maker BioLase Technology Inc.’s shares jumped 12% after the company said it expects higher than expected fourth-quarter sales.
Shares of Irvine-based New Century Financial Corp. closed more than 4% higher after the subprime mortgage lender reported higher than expected loan production of $56.1 billion for 2005, beating its earlier guidance of $50 billion to $55 billion Louisville, Ky.-based Hosting.com said it bought a 36,000-square-foot Irvine data center from XO Communications Inc. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The center is 20% full San Clemente-based Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. acquired the 284-room San Diego Marriott Del Mar in San Diego for $69 million Several law firms filed suit against Newport Beach-based Impac Mortgage Holdings Inc. alleging it gave false information regarding its finances while its top management sold shares Only 11% of OC households could afford a median priced home here in November, the same as in October and down 13% from a year ago, the California Association of Realtors reported … Newport Beach-based REIT Nationwide Health Properties Inc. sold 10 assisted living facilities in 10 states as part of a $124 million deal Houston-based real estate brokerage firm PKF Capital Markets Group, a unit of PKF Consulting Inc., is opening an office in Huntington Beach to oversee hotel real estate deals in six states.
Irvine’s Westcorp said 99% of its shareholders agreed to be acquired by Wachovia Corp. for $3.4 billion. Shareholders of WFS Financial Inc., a Westcorp unit, also approved its sale to the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank … Costa Mesa-based Experian Group posted sales growth of 20% for the quarter ended Dec. 31, London-based parent GUS PLC said. GUS doesn’t give sales quarterly figures for Experian, which has yearly sales of $2 billion.
Portland, Ore.-based Precision Castparts Corp. wrapped up its $110 million buy of Shur-Lok Group, an Irvine maker of aerospace fasteners. Shur-Lok’s Irvine and European operations employ 270 people … Troy, Mich.-based auto parts maker Delphi Corp. is laying off 110 workers at its Irvine facility by March. The Delphi Connection Systems Manufacturing facility, employing about 185 workers, blamed waning sales and high production costs OC businesses added 32,500 jobs in the 12 months ended June 30, a growth rate of 2.2%, the fifth best in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Irvine fast-food chain operator In-N-Out Burgers Inc. sued executive and family trustee Richard Boyd for alleged fraud and embezzlement Huntington Beach-based apparel maker Jeantex Group Inc. called off its buy of Carson’s Sanatex Inc. in a mutual agreement. Sanatex makes clothing labels for retailers Columbus, Ohio-based Bob Evans Farms Inc. reported a 0.3% decline in December same-store sales at its Tustin-based Mimi’s Cafe from a year earlier … Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA of Irvine has recalled about 15,200 Mule 600 utility vehicles after it found problems linked with the steering control, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. leased a 683,000-square-foot shoe distribution building in Mira Loma Newport Beach-based chemical company American Vanguard Corp. acquired Germany’s BASF AG’s herbicide line for an undisclosed amount.
