Ticker Talk

About.com Inc. and shareholders of the online guide company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell 3.5 million shares. About.com stock fell $6.13 to close at $53.88 on Nasdaq. . . . Going against the tide on Wall Street, Bear Stearns Cos. Chairman Alan “Ace” Greenberg said he sees no need for the securities industry to trade on a 24-hour basis, adding that his firm has no plans to introduce online trading for its own customers. “It would bust us,” he said. Greenberg also called electronic communications networks unnecessary. “Everybody who owns a dog owns an ECN. None are making any money.” . . . Meanwhile, a problem with the software Nasdaq is installing to run its stock-quote display system for after-hours sessions disrupted trading for up to three hours on some of the electronic networks. Instinet, Island and Brass Utility were back online early in the afternoon. . . . RealNames Corp., developer of an Internet addressing system, hopes to raise as much as $80.5 million in an IPO. . . . Among new issues sold Wednesday, Calico Commerce (ticker symbol: CLIC) priced 4 million shares at $14; PlanetRx.com priced 6 million shares at $16; and Neuberger & Berman (NEU) priced 7.25 million shares at $32. All will begin trading today. . . . Service Corp. International said it will suspend payment of quarterly dividends beginning in the fourth quarter as shares of the world’s largest funeral-home and cemetery business have tumbled 53% in the last three months.