Unilever, Kraft Heinz soar on takeover talk, Deere powers ahead, Apple eyes India iPhone production

Myles Udland
·Head of News

Here are some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you today.

US-listed shares of Unilever (UN) surged in early trading. Kraft Heinz (KHC) confirmed that it will continue to pursue a merger with the UK consumer giant even after Unilever declined its offer. Meanwhile, Unilever said it sees no merit in the Kraft Heinz proposal and sees the offer of $143 billion as undervalued. Shares of Kraft Heinz were also sharply higher on the news.

Deere (DE) shares rose in early trading after the maker of farm equipment reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter. The company also raised its profit and equipment sales outlook for the year as it sees key farm markets stabilizing.

Related: Unilever rejects Kraft Heinz takeover bid, shares spike

It’s been a big week for Apple (AAPL) shares. The stock is lower this morning after hitting an all-time high earlier this week. This morning Reuters reported that the tech giant will begin assembling its lower-priced iPhone SE models at a contract manufacturing plant in Southern India. India is the world’s second-largest smartphone market. Apple has also said it’s interested in opening retail stores in the country as well.

WebMD (WBMD) shares rose in early trading following news that the health-information website is exploring strategic alternatives, which could mean selling all or part of the company.