Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc

Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc. said it expects lower earnings in the quarter ending Dec. 31. The company now expects earnings per share of $0.14 to $0.16 for the quarter, down from the $0.25 the company reported for the quarter ended Sept. 30 and down from the $0.25 expected for this quarter by analysts surveyed by Zack's Investment Research and IBES International Inc.

Medical technology giant Medtronic Inc. said Monday that it had agreed to acquire Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc. for $3.7 billion, forming the world's largest stent manufacturer. Stents--small wire mesh tubes that support coronary blood vessels weakened by disease--constitute the fastest-growing market in the $130-billion medical devices business. Santa Rosa-based Arterial Vascular is one of a handful of companies riding a powerful wave of stent growth.

Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc. said it's buying C.R. Bard Inc.'s coronary catheter laboratory business for about $550 million in cash to expand its presence in the medical-products market. Arterial Vascular is the nation's No. 2 maker of stents, small devices used to prop open once-clogged arteries. Murray Hill, N.J.-based Bard, which makes health-care products, said its catheter lab business had sales of about $215 million in 1997.

Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc. said it's buying C.R. Bard Inc.'s coronary catheter laboratory business for about $550 million in cash to expand its presence in the medical-products market. Arterial Vascular is the nation's No. 2 maker of stents, small devices used to prop open once-clogged arteries. Murray Hill, N.J.-based Bard, which makes health-care products, said its catheter lab business had sales of about $215 million in 1997.

Medical technology giant Medtronic Inc. said Monday that it had agreed to acquire Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc. for $3.7 billion, forming the world's largest stent manufacturer. Stents--small wire mesh tubes that support coronary blood vessels weakened by disease--constitute the fastest-growing market in the $130-billion medical devices business. Santa Rosa-based Arterial Vascular is one of a handful of companies riding a powerful wave of stent growth.

* Pasadena-based Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. reported net income for the second quarter ended March 31 of $13.3 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, compared with $11.4 million, or 44 cents, a year ago. * Closely held Greens Inc. Printers & Lithographers of Long Beach has named Janet Green chief executive. * Global Motorsport Group Inc.

Boston Scientific Corp., a medical device maker and aggressive buyer of medical technology companies, said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire the Schneider Worldwide unit of drug giant Pfizer Inc. for $2.1 billion in cash. The acquisition would give Boston Scientific new products and bolster its expected entry this summer into the booming market for stents, small wire-mesh tubes that support weak blood vessels in the heart.

Beginning here are brief descriptions of companies appearing at or near the tops of the tables in this section. They were written by Bob Bedolla, a freelance writer in San Francisco, and are based on research from Hoover's Handbook and Bloomberg News. More information about these companies and descriptions of other California companies are available from the sources listed on Page 4. Aames Financial Corp.

Arterial Vascular Engineering wants to be close to your heart--literally. The Santa Rosa company makes products for use in coronary balloon angioplasty operations. Arterial Vascular also makes stents, which are wire mesh devices that hold open a blood vessel after an angioplasty or other minimally invasive treatment of arteriosclerosis. Angioplasty, cheaper and less intrusive than traditional heart surgery, has steadily grown in popularity.