This post was originally published on this site
Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:
Delta Air Lines — The airline reported adjusted quarterly profit of 96 cents per share, 6 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also topped forecasts and the company said it planned to keep capacity stable during the summer travel season.
Levi Strauss — Levi Strauss reported quarterly profit of 37 cents per share and revenue of $1.44 billion in its first quarterly report since its March initial public offering. Revenue was up 7% compared to the year-ago quarter.
Apple — Apple was cut to “reduce” from “hold” at HSBC, say the company’s shift in focus to and investment in services will take time to produce returns.
Procter & Gamble — P&G raised its quarterly dividend by 4% to 75 cents per share, marking the 63rd consecutive year that the consumer products giant has increased its quarterly payout.
Walt Disney — BMO Capital upgraded Disney to “outperform” from “market perform,” seeing a number of positive catalysts on the near-term horizon. Among them: Thursday’s planned investor day, Star Wars-themed areas opening this summer in Disney parks, and the launch of the Disney+ streaming service.
Netflix — Netflix is in talks to buy Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater, according to the Los Angeles Times. The venue is best known for hosting special screenings and events, and some see the talks as Netflix’s attempt to endear itself to the more traditional side of the movie industry.
JetBlue — JetBlue may announce as early as today that it will begin transatlantic service. The airline called an “all hands” meeting with staff at JFK Airport in New York as well as viewing parties at some of its main hubs, according to a company invitation obtained by CNBC. Separately, JetBlue said it now expected revenue per available seat mile to drop 3.1 percent this quarter, compared to a prior projected drop of 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent. The airline said the change was due to the negative impact of a higher “completion factor,” the percentage of scheduled flights that are completed and not canceled.
Under Armour — Citi upgraded its rating on the athletic apparel maker to “buy” from “neutral,” citing Under Armour’s renewed focus on profitability.
Wendy’s — The stock was rated “outperform” in new coverage at Cowen, which praises the restaurant chain’s strategy and notes an attractive valuation for the stock.
AT&T — AT&T is exploring the sale of its HBO Europe unit in order to pay down debt, according to a report in the Financial Times. The report said Sky, which is owned by NBCUniversal and CNBC parent Comcast, would be an “obvious buyer.”
PG&E — A bankruptcy judge has deferred a ruling on whether the California utility can pay up to $350 million in bonuses to 10,000 employees. The judge said he wanted more details on the company’s plans to prevent future California wildfires.
Boeing — Boeing was accused of defrauding shareholders by concealing safety deficiencies in its 737 Max jets before the two fatal crashes that led to their grounding. The accusations came in a proposed class action suit filed in Chicago.
Foot Locker — Citi downgraded the athletic footwear and apparel retailer to “neutral” from “buy,” acknowledging its strong finish to 2018 but expressing concerns about Nike’s direct-to-consumer ambitions among other factors.
Nordstrom — The retailer’s stock was upgraded to “overweight” from “sector weight” at KeyBanc, with the firm citing several factors including valuation, and a view that demand weakness is “transient.”
Novartis — Novartis was downgraded to “underweight” from “equal-weight” at Morgan Stanley, which said the drug maker faces challenges in its pharmaceutical business following its spin-off of eye care unit Alcon.
JD.com — The company denied reports that it plans to cut up to eight percent of Its workforce. The Information had reported plans for the China e-commerce company to cut up to 12,000 jobs.
WD-40 — WD-40 reported quarterly profit of $1.14 per share, beating estimates by 2 cents a share. The lubricant maker’s revenue came in short of Wall Street forecasts.