Also . . .

* Samsonite Corp. said it is in talks to sell a 50% stake in the troubled company to unnamed parties and would use the proceeds to pay a $30-a-share dividend to stockholders. The luggage maker also plans a restructuring that will cut 111 jobs and will take a charge of about $2.6 million in its first fiscal quarter.

* Maytag Corp. said it expects its first-quarter earnings to be “much better” than the 61 cents a share estimated by analysts, thanks to strong sales of new appliances.