Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:
Pentair—The maker of thermal management products is acquiring privately held electrical products maker Erico Global for $1.8 billion in cash. Nelson Peltz's Trian, which took a stake in Pentair earlier this year, had been pushing for the company to be involved in industry consolidation deals.
JPMorgan Chase—The bank's stock was upgraded to "outperform" from "market perform" at KBW, saying JPM is undervalued compared to its peer group given its prospects for solid profitability.
Estee Lauder—The cosmetics maker reported quarterly profit of 40 cents per share, 6 cents above estimates, though revenue was slightly below forecasts. The company said it is pleased with its performance despite "macroeconomic headwinds and challenges."
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts—KKR's Samson Resources is announcing plans to file for bankruptcy and hand control of the oil and gas producer to creditors.
AT&T—AT&T said it does "not voluntarily provide information to any investigating authorities" unless a person's life is in danger and time is of the essence. The statement came in response to a New York Times story saying the company worked closely with the NSA on spying on a vast scale.
Walt Disney—Disney will be adding Star Wars-themed attractions to its Disneyland and Disney World theme parks.
Amazon.com—CEO Jeff Bezos is responding to a New York Times article painting Amazon's workplace culture in a highly negative light, saying the Amazon described in the article is a place he would leave and that it does not accurately depict the online retail giant's culture.
Comcast—The NBC parent's Universal Pictures unit is continuing its highly successful year, with "Straight Outta Compton" topping the weekend box office with $56.1 million in North American ticket sales.
Charter Communications—The cable operator got an increased investment from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, according to Berkshire's latest 13F filing. The filing also signaled that Berkshire may be planning another large investment, following its agreement to purchase Precision Castparts in its largest-ever deal.
Rambus—Rambus plans to sell semiconductors under its own brand name for the first time ever, as it diversifies away from its traditional patent licensing business.
Dish Network, Sinclair Broadcast Group—The satellite television service and the TV station operator announced a short term extension to their current contract, preventing a possible blackout of Sinclair's local channels for Dish subscribers.
Apple—Apple is definitely building a self-driving car, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper, which cites company correspondence obtained under a Public Records Act request.
Williams Companies—Williams is the target of a bid by smaller oil and natural gas pipeline company Spectra Energy, according to Reuters. Williams put itself up for sale in June after rejecting a buyout bid from Energy Transfer Equity.
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