Stocks to Watch: MRK, CMCSA, GT & More

Take a look at some of Friday's morning movers:

Merck - Merck earned $0.95 per share for the third quarter, three cents above estimates, as strong global sales offset the impact of a U.S. patent expiration on asthma drug Singulair.

Comcast - The NBCUniversal parent earned $0.46 per share for the third quarter, excluding certain items, matching Street estimates. Revenue was above consensus, and Comcast added 294,000 new voice, video, and high-speed Internet customers, a 28.1 percent increase over a year earlier. (General Electric is the minority owner of NBC Universal, the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com.)

Goodyear Tire - Goodyear earned $0.53 per share for the third quarter, six cents short of estimates, with revenue also registering a shortfall. Economic uncertainty prompted dealers in both the U.S. and Europe to reduce tire inventories.

Caterpillar - The Dow Jones Industrial Average component has been removed from the "Conviction Buy" list at Goldman Sachs, which says some factors which had prompted the move to "Conviction Buy" have not materialized. Nonetheless, Goldman still maintains a "buy" on Caterpillar stock.

Newell Rubbermaid - The consumer products maker reported third-quarter profit of $0.47 per share, three cents above estimates, and also announced a 50 percent increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share.

Lear - The company reported third-quarter profit of $1.29 per share, nine cents above estimates, and also raised its outlook for North American vehicle production by 2 percent.

Apple - Apple fell eight cents short of estimates in reporting fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $8.67 per share. The bigger news in Apple's report was its first quarter forecast, calling for earnings of $11.75 per share compared to analysts' estimates of $15.43.

Amazon.com - Amazon reported its first quarter loss in nearly a decade, losing $0.23 per share for the third quarter excluding certain items. That was wider than the eight cent a share loss expected by Wall Street analysts. The Internet retailer has been spending considerable amounts on its expansion, and is also being negatively impacted by its stake in daily deals company LivingSocial. Amazon also issued a sales and profit outlook for the current quarter that's shy of Street estimates.

Deckers Outdoors - Deckers earned $1.18 per share for the third quarter, 14 cents above estimates, but revenues fell well short of Wall Street forecasts. The footwear maker also lowered its current quarter guidance, as sales of its UGG shoes decline and input costs move higher.

Expedia - The travel services company reported third-quarter profit of $1.32 per share, six cents above estimates. The operator of the Expedia, Hotwire, and Hotels.com websites has seen strong revenue growth in recent quarters, driven by hotel bookings.

Coinstar - Coinstar reported third-quarter profit of $1.14 per share, one cent below estimates, with revenue also shy of consensus. The shortfall was largely driven by weaker demand in Coinstar's Redbox DVD rental business.

KLA-Tencor - The company earned $0.84 per share for its fiscal first quarter, five cents below estimates, with revenue also falling short of analysts' forecasts. The semiconductor equipment maker saw both weaker sales and shrinking profit margins during the quarter.

Varian Medical - Varian reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $1.08 per share, five cents above estimates, with revenue also beating consensus. The medical equipment maker also gave upbeat guidance for the current quarter and the new fiscal year.

Verisign - Verisign earned $0.50 per share for the third quarter, one cent above estimates, with revenues essentially in line with forecast. The Internet domain name company saw revenue increase during the quarter along with profit margins.

Eastman Chemical - The chemical maker reported third-quarter profit of $1.57 per share, 15 cents above estimates, though revenue fell short.

PulteGroup - The home builder's stock has been upgraded to "outperform" from "sector perform" at RBC Capital following two consecutive quarters of profit margin improvement.

Dean Foods - The stock has been downgraded to "hold" from "buy" at Stifel Nicolaus, which says potential upside does not warrant a more constructive view right now.

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