Visits: 2
Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:
FactSet – FactSet missed estimates by a penny a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $2.20 per share. Revenue also came in below forecasts. The financial information provider expects full-year adjusted earnings of $9.45 to $9.65 per share, compared to a consensus estimate of $9.61 a share.
IHS Markit – The financial and economic information provider reported adjusted quarterly profit of 58 cents per share, 3 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also topped Street forecasts, however the company’s full-year earnings outlook of an adjusted $2.25 to $2.27 was slightly below the consensus forecast of $2.28 a share.
Pandora – An analyst report from Wedbush said the proposed stock swap takeover of the streaming music service by Sirius XM is unlikely to be approved by Pandora shareholders, given the sell-off in Sirius XM shares following Monday’s announcement. Wedbush said it believes the terms of the deal will either have to be revisited or will not happen at all.
Envision Healthcare – The provider of emergency room and other hospital services may be dropped from health insurer UnitedHealth’s network, after the two failed to reach a new contract agreement. Envision said it is negotiating in good faith with UnitedHealth, which it claims is making “egregious demands” for price cuts.
Starbucks – Starbucks is planning an organizational restructuring that will involve job cuts and executive changes, according to a memo issued to employees. In the memo, CEO Kevin Johnson said more needs to be done to boost sales and to speed the decision-making process.
Michael Kors – The luxury goods retailer announced a deal to buy Italy’s Versace. It had been widely reported Monday that the two sides were close to finalizing a deal.
Match Group – Match is experimenting with a new feature for its Tinder dating app, which gives women the opportunity for extra scrutiny and security before allowing men to converse with them online. The feature is being tested in India and would be rolled out worldwide if successful.
Unilever – Unilever is defending its planned transition to a single-headquarters structure in the midst of opposition to its plan to operate solely out of the Netherlands. Company executives are using the British press and broadcast media to explain why they feel the move will benefit the consumer products giant and its shareholders. Unilever current has one headquarters in London and the other in the Netherlands.
Comcast – The NBCUniversal and CNBC parent said it has bought more than 30 percent of the shares of Britain’s Sky in the marketplace, after outbidding 21st Century Fox for the broadcaster. Fox still holds a 39 percent stake in Sky and is mulling whether to sell or hold onto that stake.
British American Tobacco – BAT named the chief operating officer of its international division, Jack Bowles, as its new chief executive officer as of January 1. He succeeds Nicandro Durante, who is retiring after 37 years with the tobacco company.
Facebook – Facebook’s Instagram unit announced the departures of co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. The two wrote in a blog post that they planned to take time off and explore “our curiosity and creativity again”. Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion.
Novartis – The Swiss drugmaker is cutting more than 2,000 jobs in Switzerland, in a move to operate more efficiently. Novartis is in the midst of a plan to achieve about $1 billion in savings by 2020.
Ascena Retail – Ascena reported adjusted quarterly profit of 7 cents per share, beating the consensus estimate of 2 cents a share. The clothing retailer’s revenue and comparable sales exceeded forecasts, as well. The parent of Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, and other clothing sellers also gave upbeat guidance for the full year.
BJ’s Wholesale – BJ’s announced a 28 million share common stock offering. The warehouse retailer said that the shares come from certain selling shareholders and that the company will not receive any proceeds from the sale.
CenturyLink — Chief Financial Officer Sunit Patel has resigned to join T-Mobile US. The telecom company has launched a search process to find a replacement. In his new role at T-Mobile, Patel will oversee the planned integration of Sprint as the two companies await federal approval for their planned merger.