Also. . .

* Quaker Oats Co. raised the price on its ready-to-eat cereal line an average of 3.8%, citing increased costs for marketing and raw materials such as corn and sugar.

* Merrill Lynch & Co., the nation’s largest brokerage, is in talks to buy the East European and Russian businesses of Regent Pacific Group Ltd., a Hong Kong-based fund manager and securities firm, people familiar with the companies’ plans said. The purchase, which would be for between $20 million and $30 million, would be the first for Merrill Lynch in Eastern Europe and would make it one of Russia’s five largest brokerages.

* Cisco Systems Inc. said it agreed to buy 230 acres in Silicon Valley that could accommodate nearly 10,000 more employees, as the world’s largest maker of computer networking equipment girds for expansion. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The San Jose-based company now employees 8,300 people.

* Louisiana-Pacific Corp. agreed to sell its business that makes paneling for roofs to Sybex Inc., for less than $25 million. The business employs 100 people at its Red Bluff, Calif., plant, which makes roof paneling products under the Natureguard brand. Sybex makes products for the construction of walls.

* May Department Stores Co., operator of Robinsons-May, Lord & Taylor, Hecht’s and other department stores, said it plans to invest $3.6 billion over five years to add 100 new stores and remodel or expand 100 others. It plans to open 19 stores and expand seven this year.