Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:
Estee Lauder–The beauty products maker reported fiscal fourth quarter profit of 66 cents per share, beating estimates by ten cents, with revenue also above forecasts. The company said it had a strong quarter despite slower industry growth in some key countries.
Monster Beverage–Monster now has Coca-Cola as a major shareholder, with Coke paying $2.15 billion in cash for a 16.7 percent stake. Coca-Cola will place two directors on Monster's board, while it will transfer ownership of its own energy drink business to Monster.
BHP Billiton–The mining company said it is considering a spin-off of its various assets in deals that could fetch as much as $14 billion, according to some estimates.
Activision, Electronic Arts, Sony, Microsoft–NPD Group reports videogame industry sales were up 16 percent in July compared to a year earlier, driven entirely by an increase in game consoles. An increase in sales of new generation games was not enough to offset the decline in games designed for older consoles.
Gannett —Investor Carl Icahn took a 6.6 percent stake in the media firm. Icahn said the planned split of the media company would create value going forward, and that he planned to speak with Gannett's management about its future strategy.
Norwegian Cruise Line– The cruise line operator's stock was added to Citi's "Focus List", with Citi saying booking volumes appear to have increased even more than Norwegian indicated in its most recent earnings call.
J.C. Penney–The battered retail giant reported a second quarter loss of 75 cents per share, considerably less than the 93 cents analysts had anticipated. Both its revenue and its comparable store sales were slightly above forecasts, as the retailer continued to implement its turnaround plan.
Nordstrom–Nordstrom beat estimates by one cent with second quarter profit of 95 cents per share, with revenue in line and same-store sales slightly above expectations. The upscale retailer also said it expects its planned purchase of Trunk Club will reduce its full-year earnings by three to five percent.
Applied Materials–The company earned 28 cents per share for its third quarter, excluding certain items, one cent above estimates, with revenue essentially in line. The maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment was helped by increased spending by manufacturers to make mobile phone and memory chips.
Autodesk–The maker of design software exceeded estimates by six cents with second quarter profit of 35 cents per share, excluding certain items, with revenue well above forecasts as well. The company also raised its yearly forecast, as it sees more customers for its subscription software service.
Chiquita Brands–Chiquita rejected a $13 per share buyout bid from two Brazilian companies, with the banana producer saying it remains committed to its agreement to merge with Irish produce company Fyffes.
Mallinckrodt–The company will replace Rowan Companies in the S&P 500 as of the close of business on Monday, while Rowan takes Mallinckrodt's place in the . The switch will follow the completion of a deal which will see Mallinckrodt – a maker of generic and specialty drugs – acquire Questcor Pharmaceuticals.
Charter Communications–Charter now has Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway as a shareholder, according to Berkshire's latest 13-F filing.
Allergan – The drug tiant was a popular choice of hedge fund managers in the latest round of 13-F filings. Paulson & Co., York Capital Management, and Viking Global are among those who followed Bill Ackman's Pershing Square into the stock during the quarter.
Ebay–The auction site is in talks with bitcoin providers to integrate the virtual currency into its payment systems, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sprint–The cellphone carrier will introduce "very disruptive" pricing next week, according to its new chief executive officer Marcelo Claure.
Supervalu–Supervalu is investigating a possible data breach at its stores, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper said the possible breach may have taken place in late June or early July, and was possibly the result of malicious software installed by hackers.
—By CNBC's Peter Schacknow
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