IBM stock shares hit an all-time high Thursday. Shares closed at $138.72 on the New York Stock Exchange, up 88 cents from the previous day’s close. A spokesman for Armonk-based IBM Corp. confirmed it was the highest that the shares had ever reached. Such comparisons are adjusted to eliminate the effects of stock splits, in [...]

Insurance broker Aon Corp. announced its acquisition of human-resources consulting and outsourcing company Hewitt Associates Inc. for $4.9 billion in cash and stock to expand its consulting business. Aon will pay $50 per Hewitt share, representing a 41 percent premium to Hewitt’s closing stock price of $35.40 on Friday. Aon plans to integrate Hewitt with [...]