Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Caterpillar – Caterpillar earned an adjusted $1.95 per share for the third quarter, swamping estimates of $1.27 a share. Revenue also beat forecasts, with Caterpillar seeing a significant increase in demand for its construction equipment.

3M – The maker of a wide variety of products including Scotch tape and Post-It notes earned $2.33 per share for the third quarter, 12 cents a share above estimates. Revenue beat estimates as well and 3M also raised its full-year forecast after seeing organic growth across all its business groups.

United Technologies – United Technologies came in four cents a share above estimates, with adjusted third-quarter earnings of $1.73 per share. Revenue was above forecasts, as well. The company also raised its full-year forecast above current Street consensus despite negative pressure from its Pratt & Whitney and Otis Elevator units.

General Motors – The automaker reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.32 per share, 20 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also beat forecasts. It was the 10th straight quarter that GM beat Street estimates.

McDonald’s– The fast-food giant earned an adjusted $1.76 per share for the third quarter, one cent a share shy of forecasts. Revenue beat estimates, however, as global comparable-store sales rose six percent, while U.S. comps rose 4.1 percent.

Apple – Initial shipments of Apple’s iPhone X will only be 20 million units, half of forecasts, according to a report by Japanese news service Nikkei. The service did not say how it got that information.

Stanley Black & Decker – The tool maker earned an adjusted $1.95 per share for the third quarter, eight cents a share above forecasts. Revenue also beat estimates and the company raised its full-year forecast on broad-based growth across all its categories.

Eli Lilly – The drugmaker came in two cents a share above estimates, with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.05 per share. Revenue topped forecasts, as well. The company also raised its full-year forecast on upbeat sales for its newer drugs and also said it was considering options for its animal health unit.

Whirlpool — The appliance maker missed estimates by eleven cents a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $3.83 per share. Revenue also missed forecasts, and Whirlpool issued a profit warning because of rising input costs. Separately, an internal memo cited by the Wall Street Journal said retailer Sears is no longer selling Whirlpool appliances – including the Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air brands – because of a pricing dispute.

Amazon.com – Amazon said Amazon studio comedy and drama chief Joe Lewis has stepped down, in yet another executive departure for the unit. Amazon did not give a reason for Lewis’ resignation. Amazon Studios chief Roy Price left earlier this month following harassment allegations.

Microsoft – Microsoft dropped a lawsuit against the U.S. government after the Justice Department changed its rules on alerting customers about requests for their personal information from government agencies. The new rules call for defined time periods rather than open-ended secrecy orders.

Rio Tinto – Rio Tinto is the target of a class action suit involving the company’s investment in a Mozambique coal mining operation. The Securities and Exchange Commission has already filed fraud charges against the company involving that investment, saying executives had inflated the value of those assets and concealing critical information.

Novartis – Novartis reported higher quarterly profit that exceeded analyst forecasts, and the drugmaker also said it had made significant progress toward a possible spinoff of its Alcon eye care unit by the first half of 2019.

Zions Bancorp – Zions missed estimates by a penny a share, with quarterly profit of 72 cents per share, and the regional bank’s revenue also came in below forecasts. Zions said its quarterly results were impacted by Hurricane Harvey, which saw it provide financial relief to affected employees in Texas and set aside additional reserves for any credit-related impact.

Hanesbrands — Hanesbrands was downgraded to “perform” from “outperform” at Oppenheimer, which notes that the apparel maker does not have significant online sales and feels that the holiday season won’t provide much of a sales boost.

General Electric – GE got yet another analyst downgrade, this one from Stifel Nicolaus. The firm points to reduced cash flow expectations and the potential for a dividend cut.

HNI Corp. – HNI reported adjusted third-quarter profit of 82 cents per share, beating forecasts by two cents. However, the office furniture maker’s current quarter and full-year guidance is well below Street forecasts, with HNI citing several challenges including a rapidly changing environment and a difficult operational transformation.

Source: Investment Cnbc
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