Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:
J.C. Penney — The retailer lost an adjusted 47 cents per share for the third quarter, less than the 55 cent a share consensus estimate. Revenue also exceeded forecasts, as same-store sales rose 6.4 percent. J.C. Penney had made positive comments about its third-quarter results earlier this week, prior to their release, and the shares had jumped at that time.
Fitbit — The maker of wearable fitness devices priced a secondary offering at $29 per share. The size of the offering was also cut to three million shares from the original seven million.
Tyco International — Tyco matched estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 61 cents per share, but the fire protection and security products company saw revenue and its current-quarter outlook come in below expectations.
Edgewell Personal Care — The maker of Schick razors and other personal care products reported adjusted quarterly profit of 64 cents per share, 5 cents below estimates, with revenue also well below expectations. The company — which was spun off from Energizer Holdings in July — noted that it was dealing with operational complexities during its first quarter as a separate company, but had positioned itself for better performance in the future.
Yelp — The consumer review website operator's stock was upgraded to "outperform" from "sector perform" at RBC Capital Markets, citing an improved risk-reward profile. That follows what RBC considers an upbeat presentation at its recent technology conference and underperformance by Yelp shares this year.
GameStop — Pacific Crest downgraded the video game retailer's stock to "sector weight" from "outperform", noting that its positive scenario for sales growth and a higher stock price has largely played out and that the chance for further growth is limited.
Wendy's — Citi added the restaurant chain's shares to its "Focus List," on continued strength for the company's "4 for $4" promotion which has increased store traffic without affecting the average customer check.
Time Warner — The Wall Street Journal reports that the company is in talks with TV-streaming service Hulu to buy a stake, with those discussions valuing Hulu at up to $6 billion. Time Warner would reportedly become an equal stakeholder in Hulu with current owners Walt Disney, Comcast, and 21st Century Fox. (Disclosure: Comcast is the parent of NBCUniversal and CNBC.)
Lions Gate Entertainment — The movie studio priced a secondary offering of 3.4 million shares at $39.02 per share. The offering is related to new investments in the company by Liberty Global and Discovery Communications.
Cisco Systems — Cisco reported adjusted quarterly profit of 59 cents per share, 3 cents above estimates, and also beat on the revenue side. But the networking equipment maker gave a current quarter forecast that falls below Street forecasts, due to a slowdown in order growth.
Nordstrom — Nordstrom missed estimates by 15 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 57 cents per share, and revenue fell below analyst projections as well. The retailer cut its 2015 sales and profit forecast, but unlike competitors who pointed to weather and inventory issues, Nordstrom did not specify a reason for the cut.
El Pollo Loco — El Pollo Loco came in 3 cents above estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 18 cents per share, while revenue also missed forecasts. The restaurant chain has lowered its full year outlook, and promised to "take actions to re-engage customers" although it did not specifically say what those actions would be.
Fossil — Fossil reported quarterly earnings of $1.19 per share, 6 cents above estimates, but revenue fell short of forecast and the watch and fashion accessories company also issued a weak current quarter outlook. Fossil's watch business was especially weak, but a newly announced acquisition of wearable technology company Misfit should help boost fortunes, according to company executives.
Applied Materials — The company matched estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 29 cents per share, and revenue was also in line. The maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment also gave a current quarter outlook in line with estimates.
Planet Fitness — Planet Fitness beat estimates by a penny with quarterly profit of 10 cents per share, with revenue also above analyst estimates. The upbeat results will mean a better than expected full year outlook for the fitness chain, which raised both its top and bottom line forecasts.
Party City — Party City reported adjusted quarterly profit of 10 cents per share, 2 cents below estimates, and the party supplies retailer also missed on the top line. The company also lowered its full year sales forecast, although its overall sales were helped by more stores.
Yum Brands — The parent of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut reported a 5 percent rise in China sales, after declining in four of the past five quarters.
Syngenta — Syngenta has rejected a $42 billion takeover bid from ChemChina, according to Bloomberg, although it is said to still be in talks. The world's biggest agricultural chemicals company had previously spurned a takeover bid from Monsanto.
Alibaba, Baidu — Alibaba and Baidu have both been added to the MSCI emerging markets index, with the two among 14 US-listed China companies added to that benchmark.
Illumina — The life sciences company's stock will replace Sigma-Aldrich in the S&P 500 next Wednesday, following the acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich by Germany's Merck KGaA.
Mylan — The generic drug maker was unsuccessful in its attempt to convince more than 50 percent of Perrigo to sell in a tender offer, which expired at 8:00 a.m. ET.
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