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Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell on Friday:
J.C. Penney — The retailer reported adjusted quarterly profit of 64 cents per share, three cents a share above estimates. Revenue missed forecasts, however, and a comparable-store sales drop of 0.7 percent was wider than the consensus Thomson Reuters estimate of a 0.1 percent decline. Penney also announced plans to close up to 140 stores over the next few months, as well as two distribution centers.
Foot Locker — The athletic footwear and apparel retailer earned an adjusted $1.37 per share for its latest quarter, five cents a share above estimates. Revenue matched forecasts. Same-store sales were up 5.0 percent, better than the consensus 4.6 percent increase estimate from Thomson Reuters. Foot Locker did say the retail environment for 2017 will be "challenging."
Hilton Worldwide — The hotel operator announced a $1 billion stock repurchase program, and also said it was changing its corporate name to Hilton Inc. effective March 6. It will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the "HLT" ticker symbol.
CoreCivic, Geo Group — Private prison stocks are getting a boost after the Trump administration rescinded an Obama administration order that had moved to phase out private prisons.
Goldman Sachs — Goldman was downgraded to "sell" from "hold" at Berenberg, citing valuation. Berenberg said that all of Goldman's good news is already priced into the stock.
Wendy's — Wendy's was upgraded to "overweight" from "neutral" at J.P. Morgan Securities, following a meeting with company management. J.P. Morgan said management appears to have complete command over its tactical strategy to achieve long-term goals.
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise — The corporate hardware and software maker reported adjusted quarterly profit of 45 cents per share, one cent a share above estimates. Rvenue fell short of forecasts, however, and the company also cut its full-year profit forecast due to a stronger dollar and execution issues, among other factors.
Nordstrom — Nordstrom beat estimates by 22 cents a share, with quarterly profit of $1.37 per share. The retailer's revenue was essentially in line with expectations. Nordstrom did give a weaker-than-expected full-year earnings outlook and predicted flat comparable-store sales.
Gap Inc. — Gap reported in-line earnings, with adjusted quarterly profit of 51 cents per share. Revenue was slightly above estimates. Gap also said its efforts to turn around will bear fruit this year, with comparable-store sales likely to be up for the first time in three years. The company did give full-year earnings guidance that fell somewhat short of Street forecasts, however.
CBOE Holdings – The exchange operator will be joining the S&P 500 next week, swapping places with Pitney Bowes, which will move to the S&P MidCap 400.
Pearson – Pearson announced plans to further cut expenses and sell more assets. The education services provider's shares are getting a boost, however, on indications that balance sheet deterioration of the past few years has bottomed out.
Royal Bank of Scotland – RBS posted a ninth straight annual loss, on expenses relating to past charges of misconduct as well as restructuring. RBS has not posted an annual profit since 2007, although the bank does say that streak should end this year.
Baidu – Baidu posted a revenue decline for a second straight quarter, but the China-based search engine company forecast a rebound this year as it expands its revenue base outside its core search business.
Alphabet – The Google parent's Waymo self-driving car unit filed a suit against ride-sharing service Uber, accusing Uber of stealing its sensor technology. Uber responded by saying it took the allegations seriously and would review the matter carefully.
Intuit – Intuit issued a better-than-expected revenue outlook for the current quarter, after reporting a slower than usual start to the tax season earlier this year. Intuit is the maker of the best-selling TurboTax software.
Herbalife – Herbalife issued a weaker-than-expected current-quarter and full-year outlook, with currency-related headwinds among the key factors weighing on the nutritional products maker's results.
Capital One – Capital One revealed that its anti-money laundering practices are being investigated by federal regulators. That news came in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, although it had mentioned receiving subpoenas and requests for testimony in a filing in November.
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