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Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Pepsico—The beverage and snack maker reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.32 per share, 8 cents above estimates, with revenue also beating forecasts. Pepsi's profit margins expanded during the quarter, and it raised its full-year forecast although it adds that currency will have a negative impact of 11 percentage points on full-year profit.

Walgreens Boots Alliance—The drug store operator earned an adjusted $1.02 per share for its latest quarter, 15 cents above estimates, though revenue was shy of forecasts. Walgreens also raised its full-year earnings forecast, and increased its quarterly dividend by 6.7 percent to 36 cents per share.

Avon—Avon sold its UK-based skin care brand Liz Earle to Walgreens Boots Alliance for about $215 million in cash.

L Brands—The Victoria's Secret parent reported a 3 percent increase in same-store sales for June, below the Thomson Reuters estimate for a 3.4 percent increase.

Netflix—Nomura raised its price target on Netflix to $750 per share from $600, on forecast for stronger than expected worldwide subscriber growth.

AstraZeneca—The drug maker sold the rights to its gastrointestinal drug Entocort for $215 million to help fill a short term revenue gap. The buyer is Switzerland-based Tillotts Pharma.

MasterCard—The European Union has filed formal charges against the credit card issuer over its cross-border fees. MasterCard could eventually be fined if the EU's preliminary opinion is confirmed.

Panera Bread—Goldman Sachs upgraded Panera to "neutral" from "sell," saying while it is concerned about "competitive intrusion," it's incrementally more positive about near-term increases in same-restaurant sales for the casual dining chain. In the same report, Goldman downgraded Shake Shack to "sell" from "neutral," and Dunkin' Brands to "neutral" from "buy," both on valuation.

Alcoa—The aluminum producer reported adjusted quarterly profit of 19 cents per share, 3 cents below estimates, although revenue was above forecasts. Alcoa also raised its forecast for an ongoing global aluminum surplus, which has been pressuring prices for nearly a year.

United TechnologiesLockheed Martin and Textron are the final bidders for the company's Sikorsky Aircraft unit, according to a Reuters report which said a final decision would be made by the end of the month.

IBM—IBM will announce a breakthrough this morning in semiconductor development, developing chips with much smaller circuitry and more powerful than those currently on the market.

Yahoo—Yahoo has released a new version of its fantasy sports mobile app that allows legal online gambling.

Johnson & Johnson—J&J's experimental psoriasis treatment performed better than a rival drug in a study funded by the company. The drug known as "guselkumab" is currently in the final stage of patient testing.

Walt Disney—Disney won a new 30-year entertainment tax ban extension from the Anaheim City Council, in exchange for pledging a $1 billion expansion for its theme park complex.

ConAgra—ConAgra is adding two directors to its board, including former Nestle USA CEO Bradley Alford. Alford had been nominated by activist hedge fund Jana Partners, which took a stake in the food company last month.

WD-40—The lubricant maker fell short on the top and bottom lines with its latest earnings report, and also cut its guidance for the year. The company cites the strong dollar and quality problems in Asia for a slide in sales.


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