Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange early on Tuesday, July 24, 2012:

ALS – ALESCO CORPORATION LTD – down one cent, or 0.49 per cent, at $2.03

DLX – DULUXGROUP LTD – down five cents, or 1.64 per cent, at $3.00

Alesco Corporation has not been swayed by DuluxGroup’s move to increase its takeover offer to $210 million.

GFF – GOODMAN FIELDER LTD – down 2.5 cents, or 5.05 per cent, at 47.0 cents

Goodman Fielder says its full year earnings are likely to be at the lower end of its forecast.

LEI – LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LTD – down 30.0 cents, or 1.85 per cent, at $15.92

Leighton Holding’s mining services arm Thiess has won a $2.3 billion contract to extend operations at Jellinbah Group’s Lake Vermont coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.

MQA – MACQUARIE ATLAS ROADS – down 3.0 cents, or 2.14 per cent, at $1.37

SYDNEY – Macquarie Atlas Roads says its toll revenue for the June quarter increased one per cent as revised toll schedules helped offset weaker economic conditions in Europe.

PSA – PETSEC ENERGY – down 1.5 cents, or 9.7 per cent, at 14 cents

MELBOURNE – Petsec Energy is the latest producer to be belted by plunging gas prices, with the company forecasting a loss of between $US3.5 million ($A3.39 million) and $US6 million ($A5.81 million).

QRN – QR NATIONAL LTD – down 13 cents, or 3.89 per cent, at $3.21

Queensland unions have lodged Federal Court proceedings against QR National, saying the company has ignored a dispute over its restructure.

TOL – TOLL HOLDINGS LTD – down 21 cents, or 5.1 per cent, $3.91

Former Unitas Capital managing director Avi Gilboa will take over as logistics provider Toll Group’s group director for strategy and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

WOW – WOOLWORTHS LTD – up 27 cents, or 0.98 per cent, at $27.89

Woolworths has overcome tough trading conditions in the retail sector to lift its sales by 4.7 per cent to $56.7 billion in the 2012 financial year.