Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:
3M – The maker of a wide variety of consumer products matched forecasts, with quarterly profit of $2.50 per share. Revenue topped forecasts. CEO Inge Thulin said the company saw broad-based organic growth during the quarter.
Coca-Cola – The beverage giant came in a penny a share ahead of estimates with quarterly profit of 47 cents per share. Revenue also came in above forecasts. Organic growth was up by 5 percent, and the company’s biggest growth came in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions.
Caterpillar – The heavy equipment maker earned an adjusted $2.82 per share for the first quarter, well above the $2.13 a share consensus estimate. Revenue also beat forecasts, and the company raised its full-year outlook.
Travelers – The insurance company earned an adjusted $2.46 per share for the first quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.68 a share. Revenue beat forecasts, but the bottom line was impacted by a variety of natural disasters during the quarter. Travelers increased its quarterly dividend to 77 cents per share from 72 cents.
Verizon – Verizon came in 7 cents a share ahead of forecasts, with adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.17 per share. Revenue beat forecasts, as well. Verizon also saw wireless postpaid net additions of 260,000, exceeding estimates of 165,000.
United Technologies – The conglomerate beat estimates by 25 cents a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.77 per share. Revenue beat forecasts as organic growth saw its strongest first quarter performance in seven years. The company also raised its full-year outlook.
Centene – The health insurer reported adjusted quarterly profit of $2.17 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 a share. Revenue also topped forecasts, helped by a boost in managed care membership, among other factors. Centene also raised its full-year forecast.
PulteGroup – The homebuilder earned 59 cents per share for its latest quarter, beating estimates by 14 cents a share. Revenue also beat estimates, powered by an 18 percent jump in new orders.
Harley-Davidson – The motorcycle maker beat Street forecasts on both the top and bottom lines, and also maintained its full-year forecast for motorcycle shipments.
Alphabet – Alphabet reported adjusted quarterly profit of $9.93 per share, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.28 a share. The Google parent’s revenue also came in above Street forecasts. Results were helped by strong advertising sales.
Eli Lilly – The drugmaker came in 21 cents above estimates with first-quarter profit of $1.34 per share. Revenue also exceeded expectations. Separately, a Food and Drug Administration panel recommended that an experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug developed by Lilly and Incyte should only be approved at a lower dose.
Facebook – Facebook released its rule book regarding its posting rules, in more detail than it ever has previously.
Home Depot, Lowe’s – Both home improvement retailers were rated “outperform” in new coverage at Wells Fargo, which sees tailwinds for the home improvement industry overall. It also sees an opportunity for Lowe’s to take more market share, and an attractive entry point for Home Depot after a 15 percent drop from a late January high.
Sanofi – Sanofi’s drug to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, valproate, was banned by U.K. regulators for women of child-bearing age, unless they are on a special pregnancy prevention program.
Whirlpool – Whirlpool reported adjusted quarterly profit of $2.81 per share, falling short of the $2.96 a share consensus estimate. Revenue was also slightly short of forecasts, and the appliance maker said it expected pressure this year from lower sales and higher costs. Separately, Whirlpool sold its Embraco compressor unit to Japan’s Nidec for nearly $1.1 billion in cash.
SAP – SAP reported better than expected quarterly earnings, and the business software company said it was gaining cloud-based market share compared to competitors Salesforce.com and Oracle.
Wells Fargo – The bank holds its annual meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, today. CEO Tim Sloan told shareholders in his annual letter that rebuilding trust after recent scandals is the bank’s top priority.
Trimble – Trimble bought privately held Viewpoint from Bain Capital for $1.2 billion in cash, and the software company also raised its revenue outlook. Viewpoint specializes in software for the construction industry.
Zions Bancorp – Zions reported quarterly profit of $1.09 per share, beating the 82 cent consensus estimate. The regional bank’s revenue also came in above analyst forecasts.
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