What's Shaking: Thursday's Early Movers

Take a look at some of Thursday morning's early movers:

AT&T - The company reported fourth quarter profit of 42 cents per share, excluding certain items, one cent below estimates. Revenue, however, came in slightly above consensus.

3M – 3M earned $1.35 per share for the fourth quarter, four cents above estimates, as industrial and transport sales made up for slumping demand for consumer electronics.

Caterpillar – The heavy equipment maker reported a blowout fourth quarter, with EPS of $2.32 swamping estimates of $1.73. Revenue also came in well above consensus.

AutoNation – The nation's largest auto dealer earned 51 cents per share for the fourth quarter, beating consensus by two cents, as sales of both new and used cars rose.

Bristol-Myers Squibb – The drugmaker's quarterly numbers fell short of consensus by two cents, as Q4 EPS came in at $0.53. The company increased spending during the quarter on marketing its new drugs.

Colgate-Palmolive – The consumer products maker earned $1.30 per share for the fourth quarter, beating estimates by one cent despite higher input costs.

Netflix – The video rental service saw fourth quarter revenue exceed analyst estimates, with the company adding more than 600,000 new U.S. customers during the quarter.

LSI – Fourth quarter numbers exceeded analyst forecasts, and the chipmaker also gave an upbeat assessment of the current quarter.

SanDisk – The chipmaker did beat consensus estimates with its fourth quarter earnings, but investors are concerned about a drop in profit margins.

Ball Corp. - The packaging company boosts its quarterly dividend by 43 percent and authorizes a new 30 million share repurchase program.

Varian Medical – Varian is another company that beat analyst estimates with fourth quarter numbers, but is under pressure because of a drop in profit margins.

Stanley Black & Decker – The tool maker reported fourth quarter profit of $1.36 per share, eight cents above estimates, with revenues essentially in line with forecasts.

Symantec – The computer software company beat analyst forecasts by one cent, reporting fourth quarter profit of 42 cents per share, although it did say its revenues are being hurt by a drop in PC sales.

Teradyne – The maker of chip testing equipment reported fourth quarter profit of 16 cents a share, five cents above estimates, with revenues also beating forecasts. The company also gave a current quarter forecast well above analyst estimates.

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