Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (STEI), Smithfield Foods, Inc. (SFD), The Fresh Market Inc (TFM) & More: Are These Stocks Worth Buying?

We will take a quick look at four stocks that have had substantial rises in price so far today. The four stocks we will review are: Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEI), Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE:SFD), The Fresh Market Inc (NASDAQ:TFM) and  Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEGR)

Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEI) is up over 34% currently, to trade at $13.36; this is the new 52-week high. The company has just announced a definitive merger agreement with Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI), which will allow SCI to acquire Stewart for approximately $1.4 billion in cash. Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEI) has been in significant uptrend since mid-April, perhaps on insider knowledge of this corporate event. Pre-merger Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEI) is the 2nd largest funeral and cemetery services company in the US.

Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE:SFD) is up over 25% as of writing, trading at $32.46, a massive gap up from the close of $25.97 yesterday as well as being a new 52-week high. The owner of the Armour and Farmland brands announced today that it will be acquired by Chinese company Shuanghi Group. The Shuanghi Group has agreed to pay $34 a share for Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE:SFD). The meat company has gained nearly 20% year to date.

Specialty grocer The Fresh Market Inc (NASDAQ:TFM) is up around 14.37% to $53.02 a share. The company posted a rise of 15% in fiscal first-quarter earnings early this morning, as well as raising its same-stores sales growth estimate and confirming its earnings guidance. In February Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) recently upped their recommendation on the stock to Buy, setting a 12-month price target of $60.

Finally, we consider Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEGR), which is up 12.2% so far today, to trade at $68.15. The impetus for the rise seems to be an upgrade to the price target by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) analysts this morning, from $48 to $69 per share. Aegerion develops the drug lomitapide, which treats people with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, or HoFH, a condition that causes very high cholesterol.

Disclosure: none