Take a look at some of Friday’s morning movers:
Apple - Apple launches the iPhone 5 today, with large crowds already gathered at its stores. Apple also finds itself responding to the controversy over its new mapping app that’s included with the new iOS 6, which has drawn less-than-stellar reviews. Apple said it is “just getting started” with what it calls a major new initiative, and that it’s continually improving the app.
Darden Restaurants - The parent of Olive Garden earned $0.85 per share for its fiscal first quarter, one cent ahead of estimates. The company says it's confident of solid sales and earnings growth for the fiscal year.
KB Home - The home builder earned $0.04 per share for the third quarter, versus an expected $0.16 loss. Profit margins, orders, deliveries, and prices all improved from a year earlier.
Vivus - The drugmaker said it expects European regulators to rule against its application for approval of its weight loss treatment Qsiva. If this happens, it will either appeal or resubmit its applications, the company said.
Kraft Foods - Today is Kraft's last trading day in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It will be replaced after the close today by UnitedHealth Group .
Oracle - Oracle earned $0.53 per share for its fiscal first quarter, matching Wall Street estimates. Revenue fell short of analysts' estimates, but Oracle said the results are masking the strength of its overall business due to currency-related issues.
Qualcomm - The chipmaker may benefit from the revelation that the Apple iPhone 5 uses some of its chips, according to repair firm iFixit. The phone also contains chips from Avago Technologies and Skyworks Solutions. (Read More: Apple’s $199 iPhone 5 Costs $207 to Make.)
Knight Capital Group - Knight Capital has given Chief Financial Officer Steven Bisgay the additional title of chief operating officer, naming him to oversee operations, risk, and technology. Managing Director Brian Strauss becomes chief risk officer, reporting to Bisgay, and the company will name a chief technology officer, as well.
Texas Instruments - Texas Instruments is raising its quarterly dividend to $0.21 from $0.17, an increase of 24 percent. That brings the yield on the chipmaker’s shares to 2.9 percent, based on Thursday’s closing price.
Marsh & McLennan - The insurance company said CEO Brian Duperreault will retire at the end of the year, to be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Daniel Glaser.
McDonald’s - McDonald's has raised its dividend by 10 percent to $0.77 per share from $0.70. It will be payable on Dec. 17 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 3.
Electronic Arts - The launch of EA's “NHL13” videogame was a record-setting one: Sales rose 9 percent from last year’s version, which set the prior record. The news comes as the National Hockey League is in the midst of a player lockout and has canceled all its September preseason games.
Amgen - The biotech firm has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to use its Prolia to treat bone mass loss in men with osteoporosis. Previously, Prolia had approval for use in treating post-menopausal women with osteoporosis.
Michael Kors - Kors has raised its fiscal second-quarter profit forecast, thanks to strong global sales. It now expects to earn $0.38 to $0.40 per share, up from its earlier projection of $0.33 to $0.35. Analysts had been expecting second-quarter earnings of $0.36 a share.
Charles Schwab, E*Trade Financial - Evercore Partners has downgraded both brokerage stocks to "underweight" from "equal-weight." The firm said E*Trade's deleveraging will weigh on its earnings, while noting that Schwab's current valuation is not supported by its outlook.
MasterCard - Citi has upgraded the stock to "buy" from "neutral," saying the credit card issuer can continue to deliver 20 percent earnings growth on a long-term basis.
Altria - Citi has upgraded the tobacco producer's stock to "buy" from "neutral."
—By CNBC’s Peter Schacknow
Questions? Comments? Email us at marketinsider@cnbc.com
