Health Net, Kite Pharma Among This Week’s Movers

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The Los Angeles Business Journal’s index of the largest local public companies fell slightly for the week. The weighted LABJ index fell less than 1 percent to close at 233, with losers outpacing gainers 103 to 47. Nine companies closed the week unchanged.

Among stocks trading above a dollar, Health Net Inc. in Woodland Hills was one of the week’s leading gainers. Shares rose 12 percent to close at $71.57 Thursday after the company announced that it would be acquired by Centene Corp. in a cash and stock deal worth $6.8 billion.

Santa Monica’s Kite Pharma Inc., a cancer drug developer, was also one of the week’s leading gainers. Shares rose 8 percent to close at $65.07 Thursday. The company announced this week it has partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society help in the development of KTE-C19, which will be used to treat patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Westwood oil giant California Resources Corp. was among the week’s losing stocks. Shares fell 19 percent for the week, closing at $5.48 Thursday. Agricultural biotech Ceres Inc. was also one of this week’s losing stocks with shares falling 13 percent for the week, closing at $1.80 Thursday.