Tuesday's Late Winners & Losers

Stocks were generally coming back from their regular-session losses after the closing bell Tuesday, following the crushing news that the Federal Reserve had cut rates by only 25 basis points.

Among the heavily traded stocks making a rebound in after-hours trading were drugmakers Brystol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA), each recently adding around 2%. Cable television operator Comcast (CMCSA) also was up 3.2% at $18.35.

Also on the postclose upswing was Learning Tree International (LTRE), a purveyor of classroom courses on management and information technology. The Reston, Va., company swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $7.8 million, or 48 cents a share, from a loss of 21 cents a share a year earlier. The sole analyst's estimate had called for just 29 cents a share, less special items. Learning Tree shares climbed 62 cents, or 2.9%, to $21.88.

On the down side, however, was Nuance Communications (NUAN), which dove 8% after setting plans for a 15-million share offering. The software company itself will offer 9.6 million shares, shareholder Warburg Pincus will sell 4.8 million shares, and "certain members of Nuance management" will sell another 600,000.

Underwriters will have an option for another 2.25 million shares to cover any overallotments, the sale of which will be split evenly between Nuance and Warburg. Shares of the Burlington, Mass.-based company fell $1.69 to $19.42 in recent after-hours action.

Also among the losers was contact lens maker Cooper Cos. (COO). The Pleasanton, Calif., company said fiscal fourth-quarter earnings, excluding items, dove 21.3% vs. a year ago to $25.1 million, or 54 cents a share. That's 14 cents short of analysts' per-share expectations. On a GAAP basis, the company swung to a loss of 54 cents a share.

Cooper also pegged non-GAAP fiscal 2008 income at $2.40 to $2.65 a share, which would miss current analyst targets by at least 20 cents. Shares were sliding 10.4% to $3.10.

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