Early Movers: GM, BDX, CI & More

Market Insider | What's Shaking | Earnings to Watch | Before the Bell

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

General Motors - GM reported first-quarter profit of $0.67 per share, excluding certain items, 13 cents above estimates, with revenue also exceeding consensus. The automaker was helped by stronger-than-expected North American results.

Becton Dickinson - The medical products maker reported fiscal second-quarter profit of $1.44 per share, excluding certain items, nine cents above estimates. Revenue was also above consensus. Becton raised its forecast for the fiscal year, pointing to increasing benefits from both new products developed internally and from recent acquisitions.

Beam - The spirits producer earned $0.64 per share, excluding certain items, 10 cents above estimates, with revenue also coming in above consensus. Beam benefited from strong sales in its commercial segment and from the acquisition of the Pinnacle Vodka brand.


(Read More: See the Day's Top Percentage Winners & Losers)

Cigna - The insurance company reported first-quarter profit of $1.72 per share, excluding certain items, 29 cents above estimates, with revenue also beating forecasts. Cigna also raised its forecast for the year, after seeing double-digit percentage increases in premiums for a number of its key insurance categories.

Cardinal Health - The company reported first-quarter profit of $1.02 per share, excluding certain items, seven cents above estimates, though revenue was slightly shy of forecasts. Cardinal also raised its quarterly dividend by 10 percent.

Facebook - Facebook reported first-quarter profit of $0.12 per share, excluding certain items. That was one cent below Street estimates, though revenue was slightly above consensus as Facebook's mobile advertising sales continued to grow.

Estee Lauder- The cosmetics maker reported fiscal third-quarter profit of $0.45 per share, excluding certain items, 11 cents above estimates. However, revenue came in slightly below Wall Street forecasts.

Visa - Visa earned $1.92 per share for its fiscal second quarter, 11 cents above estimates, with revenue beating forecasts, as well. The credit card payment network also raised its earnings forecast for the fiscal year, as credit card use increases.

(Read More: MasterCard CEO Sees 'Dodgy' Second Quarter)

CBS - CBS reported first-quarter earnings of $0.73 per share, beating analyst estimates by five cents. Revenue was slightly above consensus, as well, helped by record ad rates during its broadcast of this year's Super Bowl game.

Yelp - Yelp lost $0.08 per share for the first quarter, three cents wider than analysts were anticipating. However, revenue exceeded consensus, and its second-quarter revenue projection is well above Street forecasts. The consumer review site is being helped by strong results in its local and mobile ad segments.

Boston Beer - The maker of Sam Adams beer fell short of forecasts by 11 cents a share in reporting first-quarter profit of $0.51 per share, though revenue did exceed analysts' forecasts. The beer brewer was impacted by higher processing and ingredient costs.

Marriott International - Marriott reported first-quarter earnings of $0.43 per share, three cents a share above estimates, with revenue also scoring a beat. The hotel operator saw higher REVPAR (revenue per available room), as well as higher average daily rates.

Avis Budget - Avis earned $0.08 per share for the first quarter, excluding certain items, beating analysts' estimates by six cents a share. Revenue was essentially in line, and the car rental company raised its full-year forecast, thanks in large part to higher rental rates in North America.

Tesoro - Tesoro reported first quarter profit of $0.73 per share, three cents above estimates, as the energy producer saw higher fuel sales and increased profit margins in its refining business.

Seagate Technology - Seagate reported fiscal third-quarter profit of $1.26 per share, excluding certain items, nine cents a share above estimates, with revenue also beating forecasts. The hard disk drive maker gave an upbeat revenue forecast for the current quarter.

Moody's - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway sold 1.75 million Moody's shares, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Berkshire remains the largest Moody's shareholders with a 12 percents stake.

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

—By CNBC's Peter Schacknow

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