Updating Tennant Co., Symantec Corp. and Nordstrom Inc.

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TENNANT CO. $42 (www.tennantco.com) continues to see strong demand for its ec-H2O floor-scrubbing machine, which uses electricity to make tap water act like a detergent. That eliminates the need for soaps and cleaning agents, and lowers the machine’s operating costs. However, overall sales fell 0.6% in the first quarter of 2012, to $172.6 million from $173.7 million a year earlier, due to weaker demand in Europe. Earnings per share fell 6.7%, to $0.28 from $0.30. Hold. SYMANTEC CORP. $16 (www.symantec.com) has paid an undisclosed sum for Nukona Inc., whose software lets companies apply security policies to employee-owned computers and smartphones while leaving personal activities untouched. This technology nicely complements Symantec’s other data-security products. Hold. NORDSTROM INC. $55 (www.nordstrom.com) has raised its quarterly dividend by 17.4%, to $0.27 a share from $0.23. The new annual rate of $1.08 yields 2.0%. Buy. Buy…