From Barron's 6-11-07 Hedge-fund manager Robert Chapman sent a letter to the company requesting a meeting with top management. Chapman said that he'd like to discuss Building Materials' expense-reduction and capital-allocation plans. Chapman also reiterated his request that Building Materials hire an investment adviser to explore the sale of the company. Chapman Capital reported ownership of 2.4 million shares (8.1% of the total outstanding).

From Barron's 6-11-07 Riley Investment Management said that the company should shut its operations, sell its assets and return the proceeds to shareholders. Riley Investment contends that this would generate proceeds of $2.70 a share and warned that, otherwise, the company has "little or no prospect of turning a profit in the foreseeable future." Riley Investment asserts that the management of ESS faces an "uphill battle" in restoring profitability to the company, citing intense competition and what it termed a declining outlook for ESS' core DVD-chip products. Riley Investment owns 6.7% of the shares outstanding.

From Barron's 6-11-07 Investor Umberto P. Fedeli submitted a proposal asking the company to declassify its board structure. Fedeli said that he would buy 1.5 million to two million shares if he were allowed to control three board seats and if the company shook up its management and altered its strategic business plan. The company hasn't issued an official response to Fedeli's offer. The declassification proposal would require that all PVF directors be elected each year, instead of having only a few directors up for annual election. Fedeli currently holds 465,000 shares (6%).

From Barron's 6-11-07 Doucet Capital reported ownership of 348,279 shares (5.3%) after buying 6,845 from May 4 to 30 at prices ranging from $9.25 to $10.98. INX provides Internet protocol communications services and products.

From Barron's 6-11-07 A group including ValueAct Capital Management raised its stake to 5.9 million shares (9.9%) from the 4.4 million (7.3%) reported on May 1. Advanced Medical Optics makes eye-care and ophthalmologic devices

From Barron's 6-11-07 ValueAct Capital Management raised its holdings to 96.4 million shares (7.7%) from the 83.55 million (6.5%) that it reported on Feb. 21.

From Barron's 6-11-07 Halozyme director Randal J. Kirk increased his stake to 11.04 million shares (14.6%) from the 7.5 million (10.5%) that he reported on May 24. Halozyme is a biopharmaceutcial company based in San Diego.