U.S. shares advanced today on optimism that Greece will eventually reach a bailout deal with its creditors. The S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) rose 0.8 percent to 2,127.55 at 11:44 a.m. in New York. The 30-company Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) added 0.8 percent to 18,162.82, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) rose 0.8 percent to 5,158.46. Most followed shares included Humana, Baxter, Pfizer, Fitbit, Micron Technology, Facebook, AMD, Williams, Cigna, and Carnival.
In health-care stocks, Humana (NYSE:HUM) added 0.5 percent to $203.40 as media reports said Cigna along with Aetna are participating in an auction to acquire the provider of health insurance and Medicare plans. Aetna (NYSE:AET) was up 4.4 percent at $129.55.
Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) rose 1.4 percent to $70.37. Baxter's biopharmaceutical spin-off Baxalta will be a member of the S&P 500 when it begins trading July 1, replacing QEP Resources which will move to the S&P Midcap 400.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) inched up 0.7 percent to $34.44 after it agreed to acquire meningitis vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline PLC for about $130 million, a move to expand its global reach in preventing meningococcal disease.
In technology shares, Fitbit (NYSE:FIT), a provider of health and fitness products, surged 17.9 percent to $38.26, extending gains on its third day of trading, after jumping more than 50 percent on its debut Thursday.
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) added 0.9 percent to $24.66 even as Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) cut its rating on the shares to sell.
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) rose 2.3 percent to $84.38. The world’s largest social network will unveil new mobile ad formats at an advertising conference in Cannes, France today.
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) gained 3.1 percent to $2.66. The chipmaker is considering various strategic alternatives, including a breakup or a spin-off of various businesses, according to Reuters.
In other stocks, Williams (NYSE:WMB) surged 26 percent to $60.94 after the natural-gas pipeline giant said it had rejected an unsolicited buyout offer worth $48 billion, but didn't specify who had made the bid. Today, Energy Transfer Equity L.P. (NYSE:ETE) said it was bidding $53.1 billion for Williams.
Cigna (NYSE:CI) jumped 6.2 percent to $164.82 after the board of healthcare-services company rejected a $47.5 billion takeover offer from Anthem (NYSE:ANTM).
ADRs of Carnival (NYSE:CCL) rose 2.8 percent to $51.89 after Deutsche Bank AG said the cruise line operator’s second-quarter earnings may beat forecasts, and raised its recommendation on the stock to buy.