Business software maker Oracle Corp. will buy Hyperion Solutions Corp. for $3.3 billion in cash, renewing a shopping spree aimed at toppling rival SAP AG.

The deal announced Thursday will give Oracle an arsenal of Hyperion products that are widely used by SAP's customers. Hyperion's tools, known as ''business intelligence'' software, help chief financial officers and other top corporate executives track their company's performance.

Hyperion represents the largest prey to be devoured by Oracle since it gobbled up Siebel Systems Inc. for $6.1 billion a little over a year ago.

Oracle will pay $52 per share for Hyperion. The price represents a 21 percent premium above the most recent closing price of Hyperion's stock, which has traded between $26.65 and $45.18 during the past year.

Electric utility

TXU drops plans for 8 coal-fired plants in Texas

TXU Corp. said Thursday it has suspended efforts to get permits to build eight coal-fired plants in Texas, a condition of the electric utility's proposed $32 billion sale to private buyers.

The suspension of proceedings before the state Office of Administrative Hearings would last six months.

On Monday, Dallas-based TXU announced that its board had approved a sale to a group of investors led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group in what would be the largest leveraged buyout ever.

To win support for their bid, the investors pledged to cut rates for many customers and scuttle eight of 11 coal-fired plants that TXU had wanted to build. TXU is the largest electric generator in Texas and serves 2.2 million customers, mostly in north Texas.

Auto market

Toyota U.S. sales climb

as Ford loses ground

Toyota's U.S. sales climbed 12.2 percent in February and Honda and Nissan posted modest increases while struggling Ford and DaimlerChrysler lost more ground to the Japanese manufacturers. Industry leader General Motors managed a 3.7 percent increase, however.

Despite Toyota's sales gains, Ford still managed to finish ahead of its Japanese rival in number of vehicles sold despite a 13.5 percent decline for the month in its home market.

Ford said Thursday it sold 210,194 light vehicles in February, while Toyota sold 187,330 vehicles.

Meanwhile, Honda said its U.S. sales rose 3.2 percent on stronger sales of its trucks and Nissan rose 1.2 percent. DaimlerChrysler sales fell 7.7 percent.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s car sales rose 21.1 percent to 106,429, while truck sales rose 2.4 percent to 80,901.

Medical technology

FDA panel rejects Medtronic heart device

Federal health advisers recommended Thursday that the government not approve a novel implantable device designed to detect worsening heart failure.

The recommendation to the Food and Drug Administration against the Chronicle Implantable Hemodynamic Monitor came on a 9-2 vote. The FDA isn't required to follow its advisory committees' advice, but it does so most of the time.

A study of the device, made by Medtronic Inc., suggested it isn't effective.

The device works by taking heart rate, temperature, pressure and patient activity measurements. The data can be downloaded by doctors in the office or securely transmitted to the Web for viewing.

Medtronic is studying a defibrillator that incorporates the monitoring technology.

Less than one-third of UPS workers take buyout offer

UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, said Wednesday that less than one-third of the employees it offered severance packages to in December had accepted the buyouts.

Spokesman Norman Black said it was too early to tell whether there would be layoffs to account for any more jobs the company hopes to cut.

''It absolutely does not mean that at this point,'' Black said when asked if there would be layoffs.

He said the company could possibly make up the extra jobs it may hope to cut through attrition.

The company had said it offered voluntary severance packages to roughly 650 employees at its headquarters and in its Supply Chain Solutions division in the United States. On Wednesday, it said the offer was accepted by 194 employees. The company did not disclose how much the employees would receive.