Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:
Procter & Gamble – Procter & Gamble earned an adjusted $1 per share for its third quarter, 2 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also exceeded forecasts. Its beauty and homecare businesses were among the units that did well during the quarter. Separately, the consumer products giant is buying the consumer health business of Germany's Merck (unrelated to the U.S. company of the same name) for about $4.2 billion.
Blackstone – The private-equity firm beat estimates by 20 cents a share, with adjusted economic net income of 65 cents per share. Revenue was well above estimates, as well. Blackstone also added $1 billion to its stock buyback program and declared a special dividend.
BB&T – The regional bank reported adjusted quarterly profit of 97 cents per share, beating Street forecasts by 5 cents a share. Revenue was essentially in line, and its profit nearly doubled from a year before.
Bank of New York Mellon – The bank came in well above forecasts, with quarterly profit of $1.10 per share. Consensus forecasts had predicted earnings of 96 cents a share. Results were helped by a boost in fee revenue from asset servicing.
21st Century Fox – Fox rejected Comcast's bid for its entertainment assets because of antitrust concerns, according to a regulatory filing. Comcast's bid was 16 percent higher than the price that Walt Disney is paying for those assets.
Southwest Airlines – Southwest had disagreements with engine maker CFM over proposed inspections after a 2016 accident, according to public documents. Separately, the FAA is ordering about 220 engines be inspected after the engine explosion that caused one fatality on a Southwest flight this week.
Qualcomm – Qualcomm began layoffs as part of its effort to cut $1 billion in costs. Separately, China's antitrust regulator said the chip maker's proposed deal to acquire NXP Semiconductors for $44 billion has issues that are "hard to resolve."
American Express – American Express reported quarterly profit of $1.86 per share, beating estimates by 15 cents a share. Revenue also beat forecasts as customers spent more amid a rebounding U.S. economy.
Alcoa – Alcoa came in 7 cents a share ahead of estimates, with adjusted quarterly earnings of 77 cents per share. Revenue was essentially in line with forecasts. The aluminum producer also raised its full-year earnings outlook on more favorable market conditions.
Sleep Number – Sleep Number missed estimates by 4 cents a share, with quarterly profit of 52 cents per share. The mattress retailer's revenue missed as well, as comparable-store sales fell more than expected. Sleep Number said it remains on track to achieve its previously stated earnings goals for the full year, however.
Wynn Resorts – Wynn expanded its board with three new independent directors, appointing Betsy Atkins, Dee Dee Myers, and Wendy Webb. The move comes after a search aimed at diversifying gender, skills, and experience on the casino operator's board.
Amazon.com – Amazon said its Amazon Prime service now has more than 100 million members around the world.
VMWare – The cloud computing company's chief financial officer Zane Rowe is the top candidate for the same job at ride-hailing service Uber, according to a Bloomberg report.
XPO Logistics – XPO unveiled a voice-enabled tracking system available through smart speakers made by either Amazon or Google. XPO is a delivery and warehousing company specializing in last-mile delivery of heavy and bulky items.
Visa, Mastercard – Visa and Mastercard are considering the idea of a shared payment button for online purchases. Both payment networks current have separate pay technology in place.
(Disclosure: Comcast is parent of CNBC.)