Avon

in a call with investors on Tuesday, Avon Products Inc.'s new CEO Sherilyn McCoy — on the job a week — outlined her next steps as she works toward stabilizing the beauty product maker. The New York company reported first-quarter net income fell 82 percent on higher costs and restructuring. QUESTION: Thinking about Avon as a company that has been in constant restructuring for the last seven years, what is your view on larger-scale, broader-based restructuring as a way to kind of re-energize the company?

Among the stock activity stories for Monday, May 21, from AP Business News: — Shares of Avon Products Inc. fell after an analyst said the beauty company will have to step up spending to fix the business as he downgraded the stock. The report comes after smaller beauty rival Coty Inc. dropped its $10.7 billion takeover bid for Avon last week. — Shares of American Eagle Outfitters Inc. climbed after the teen retailer announced plans to exit its children's business and detailed the departure of Chief Financial Officer Joan Hilson.

The town's public school staff will discuss "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" by Daniel Pink at the annual faculty book club meeting this month. School superintendent Margaret Frieswyk said the faculty chose the book, which will be discussed during the Jan. 25 in-service training. "We've had a book club for three or four years as a professional development experience," she said. An Amazon.com review says the book upends the idea that people are motivated by rewards, and instead argues that "the secret to high performance and satisfaction - at work, at school, and at home - is the...

Shares of Avon Products Inc. fell almost 3 percent Monday after an analyst said the beauty company will have to step up spending to fix the business as he downgraded the stock. The report comes after smaller beauty rival Coty Inc. dropped its $10.7 billion takeover bid for Avon last week. THE SPARK: In a note to clients, UBS Investment Research analyst Nik Modi said he cut Avon's stock to "Sell" from "Neutral. " He also lowered his earnings estimate to $1 per share for 2012, 75 cents for 2013 and 78 cents for 2014.

Having recently retired after 34 years in the Avon school system, I read your article about the apathy of its town residents with great interest ("Big issues, little interest," Nov. 24). While Mr. Frank Staffier [Town Meeting moderator] is absolutely right in his observations about the lack of participation in local government, he has missed the very core of the problem and thus has missed the only viable solution. The real problem is that Avon is too small to be an independent entity.

Cosmetics seller Avon Products Inc.'s second-quarter net income rose 23 percent, helped by higher revenue in Latin America, its largest region. The results fell slightly short of analyst expectations but they marked the second straight quarter of improvement for the direct seller as two trouble spots, Russia and Brazil, continued to recover. Avon said Thursday that net income rose 23 percent to $206.2 million, or 48 cents per share, from $167.6 million, or 39 cents per share last year.

Despite Avon Products Inc.'s efforts to revive its business, the beauty products seller posted a fourth-quarter net loss as sales fell, costs rose and it marked down the value of a silver jewelry company acquired in 2010. Avon has been struggling to improve results and wind up a long-running bribery investigation that began in 2008. The company has restructured and cut jobs. But its profit has shrunk over the past three years, and the bribery investigation has widened. To placate critics, in December the company said it would seek a replacement for longtime CEO Andrea Jung, who plans...

AVON - When Kristopher Rosa, 23, left his father's home in Avon Monday night, it was only to pay a quick visit to his mother, who lives 10 minutes away. He brought along his girlfriend but reluctantly left his 4-month-old son behind. After driving a few blocks in their maroon sedan, they realized two cars were following them. One veered in front of their car and the other pulled up behind, boxing in the couple on Central Street, Rosa‘s girlfriend, Davina Mendes, later told his family.

AVON - Revenge was not sweet for former assistant assessor Marjorie Malone, who last week was fined $5,000 for changing town records to raise the property taxes of selectmen who wanted to fire her. "Public employees cannot use their official positions to retaliate against someone else for their own personal satisfaction," said Karen L. Nober, executive director of the state Ethics Commission, which issued the fine. Malone had been working in the Avon assessor's office for about a year, when she was informed, on Aug. 4, 2010, that she...

DEDHAM - For six years, Kristopher Rosa and Rhandisyn Lawrence competed for the affections of one woman. The love triangle began when they were 17 years old. The two regularly got into fights over Davina Mendes, a local teenager with whom they both had on-again and off-again relationships. In one altercation early last year, Rosa broke Lawrence's jaw. Things seemed to be settling down. Rosa and Mendes had a child together. They named him Kristopher Jr. Rosa's father, Alfredo, had hopes the two would soon get married.

Despite admitting to federal investigators that he falsified drinking water test results, the superintendent of the Avon Water Department remains on the job, and his bosses seem wary of making any changes until they learn more about the charges against him. Getting that information has been difficult, said Town Administrator Michael McCue. "We are not in receipt of any official documents, other than a press release which we received secondhand" from a newspaper reporter, he said via e-mail.

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent The city encouraged residents to use public transportation and for drivers to use caution over the weekend because of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The walk will start at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Boston. The walk will proceed along the Harborwalk through South Boston via Day Boulevard, eventually making its way to downtown Boston. At 6:00 a.m. Sunday, May 20, the walk will pick back up in Milton making its way into Boston via the Neponset Trail.

NEW YORK - Shares of Avon Products Inc. fell almost 10 percent Tuesday after the smaller beauty products maker Coty Inc. dropped its $10.7 billion takeover bid. Privately held Coty first made an offer for Avon Products public on April 2, and the relationship was contentious from the start. Avon said that offer was too low, and Coty said it needed to look at Avon's books before it made a definitive offer. Coty raised its bid last week by about 6.5 percent, to $24.75 per share from $23.25 per share, and said billionaire Warren Buffett's...

Avon rose 3.8 percent for the third-largest increase in the Standard & Poor's 500 index. The door-to-door cosmetics seller said it will respond within a week to Coty Inc., the perfume maker that last week boosted its takeover offer for Avon to $10.7 billion.

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE Avon Products Inc., down $2.02 at $18.71 Coty, a privately held rival, dropped its $10.7 billion takeover bid for the cosmetics company after its deadline to accept the offer passed. The TJX Cos. Inc., up $2.75 at $42.45 The owner of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores said that its first-quarter net income rose 58 percent as it attracted more customers.

Shares of Avon Products Inc. fell almost 10 percent Tuesday after the smaller beauty products maker Coty Inc. dropped its $10.7 billion takeover bid. Privately held Coty first made an offer for Avon Products public on April 2, and the relationship was contentious from the start. Avon said that offer was too low, and Coty said it needed to look at Avon's books before it made a definitive offer. Coty raised its bid last week by about 6.5 percent, to $24.75 per share from $23.25 per share, and said billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. would help...

The town of Avon is officially a "film-friendly" jurisdiction, according to Town Administrator Michael McCue. Selectmen named McCue the town's film liaison last week and charged him with welcoming potential movie and television projects. The action was in response to an inquiry from the Massachusetts Film Office, asking whether the town wanted to be included in the state's list of communities interested in hosting film crews. "There are plenty of sites in Avon worthy of inclusion in a motion picture," McCue said.

The town of Avon is officially a "film-friendly" jurisdiction, according to Town Administrator Michael McCue. Selectmen named McCue the town's film liaison last week and charged him with welcoming potential movie and television projects. The action was in response to an inquiry from the Massachusetts Film Office, asking whether the town wanted to be included in the state's list of communities interested in hosting film crews. "There are plenty of sites in Avon worthy of inclusion in a motion picture," McCue said.

Coty Inc. has slammed the door on Avon. Privately held Coty said late Monday that struggling direct cosmetics seller Avon Products Inc. took too long to respond a its $10.7 billion buyout offer. It said it is withdrawing the offer, first made two months ago. "Two months is enough," Coty Chairman Bart Becht said in a letter to Avon's board. "Consequently, as our deadline to begin discussions expired today, our proposal is withdrawn. " Last week, Coty raised the price of its original offer about 6.5 percent to $24.75 per share, or almost $10.7 billion.