Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell Thursday:
Bank of America—The financial giant gained in early New York trading after UBS upgraded its shares to buy from neutral.
Constellation Brands—The beverage maker fell after reporting second-quarter sales below expectations.
DirecTV—The digital-entertainment provider rose after inking a $12 billion pact to continue showing National Football Games on Sunday.
Hanesbrands—The apparel company rose in pre-market trading after Credit Suisse initiated coverage of its shares with an outperform rating.
JetBlue Airways—The carrier's shares gained after Raymond James upgraded its shares to market perform from underperform.
JPMorgan Chase —The bank declined after UBS downgraded its shares to neutral from buy.
Microsoft—The software giant edged higher after FBN Securities initiated coverage with an outperform rating.
Pandora Media—The online-music provider rose after Topeka Capital Markets upgraded its shares to buy from hold.
Tesla Motors—The electric-car maker climbed after saying it would introduce a new product next week.
Time Warner—The media and entertainment company was little moved after Topeka Capital Markets upgraded its shares to hold from sell.
Twitter—The social-media company gained after J.P. Morgan upgrades its shares to overweight from neutral.
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