Early Movers: ARB, UPS, GBX & More

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell on Tuesday:

Arbitron - The company best known for radio station ratings is being bought by TV ratings giant Nielsen Holdings for $48 per share in cash, a 26 percent premium over Monday's close for Arbitron.

United Parcel Service - The delivery service is reportedly offering more concessions to obtain European Union regulatory approval for its deal to acquire European delivery service TNT. That's according to Reuters, which said the new offer was submitted to regulators Monday.

Greenbrier Cos. - Investor Carl Icahn has proposed a transaction where his American Railcar Industries would acquire Greenbrier for $20 per share in cash. Greenbrier is a supplier of transportation equipment, in which Icahn has a nearly 10 percent stake.

Sirius XM Radio - Goldman Sachs has begun coverage of the satellite radio operator with a "buy" rating, saying it sees a 20 percent upside.

Toyota Motor - Toyota will pay a $17.35 million fine for allegedly failing to report safety defects in the timely manner required by law. It's the fourth such fine assessed against Toyota in the past two years, though the automaker does not admit or deny guilt in making the payment.

Boeing - The aerospace company announces a 10 percent dividend increase and the resumption of a $3.6 billion share repurchase program. Boeing had suspended share buybacks back in 2009.

Wal-Mart Stores - Wal-Mart's Mexican affiliate routinely paid off officials in that country to allow it to open stores in desirable locations, according to a report in The New York Times. The retailer said the company is looking into the claims made in the article, as part of a broader investigation into overseas practices that began more than a year ago.

Apple - Apple's request to ban Samsung Electronics phones from sale in the U.S. has been rejected by a federal judge in San Francisco. A jury had recently found that those models infringed Apple patents, and ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion.

Allstate - The insurer has approved a share buyback program of up to $1 billion, following the recent conclusion of a buyback of the same size.

McDonald's - The fast-food giant is asking franchisees to remain open on Christmas Day, according to Ad Age. McDonald's had done the same on Thanksgiving, helping to push November sales well beyond analyst estimates.

Diamond Foods - Diamond reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $0.24 per share, excluding certain items, one cent above estimate. Its profit margins were helped by a cutback in spending on promotions and advertising.

ConocoPhillips - The oil company will pay federal and state civil penalties of about $200,000 to settle an oil spill case in Alaska. The state will also receive about $112,000 from the company to cover the cost of its investigation into the spill.

Ancestry.com - Ancestry has been ordered by a judge to provide more information about its planned $1.6 billion sale to private-equity firm Permira. The genealogy website operator must provide that information before a planned Dec. 27 shareholder vote on the sale.

Knight Capital Group - The trading firm's board is reportedly still split between two takeover offers, one from Getco and the other from Virtu. But Reuters reported one of those two deals is still likely to take place

(Read More: See CNBC's Market Insider Blog)

—By CNBC's Peter Schacknow

Questions? Comments? Email us at [e-mail]