Early movers: SYMC, PANW, FEYE, PTHN, TMO, MCO, JNJ, BWLD & more
Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:
Symantec, Palo Alto Networks, FireEye – These and other cybersecurity stocks could get a boost this morning, as the "WannaCry" malware spreads throughout the world and impacts businesses as they open for a new week. The "ransomware" attack encrypts files and then demands payment to unlock them.
Patheon – The Dutch drug ingredient maker agreed to be bought by scientific instruments maker Thermo Fisher Scientific for $5.2 billion, excluding assumed debt, or about $35 per share.
Moody's – The rating agency is buying Amsterdam-based business information provider Bureau Van Dijk for about $3.3 billion.
Johnson & Johnson – JPMorgan Chase upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "neutral," saying the impact of increased competition in the pharmaceutical business has played out and is already reflected in the stock's price.
Buffalo Wild Wings – The restaurant chain's shares were upgraded to "buy" from "hold" at Deutsche Bank, based on the prospect for positive change from either the current management team or a new one.
Starbucks – The coffee chain was also upgraded to "buy" from "hold" at Deutsche Bank. The firm feels the company is in the process of resolving problems related to labor, traffic, and its mobile ordering system, and that improvement is already being seen.
Western Digital – Western Digital is taking legal action to prevent Toshiba from selling its chip unit without its consent. The disk drive maker claims a sale would violate the terms of a joint manufacturing agreement between the two.
Toyota and Honda – Toyota and Honda have retained their #1 and #2 rankings, respectively, in a yearly survey of relationships with suppliers. The closely-watched industry survey saw General Motors jump past Nissan into third place.
United Continental – Some of the airline's cockpit-door security codes were inadvertently posted on a public website, but an Air Line Pilots Association official told Dow Jones that the problem had been fixed.
GlaxoSmithKline – The drug maker reportedly plans to buy out partner Novartis, which currently owns 36.5 percent of the company's consumer health-care division. The Sunday Times reports that the deal could be worth $10 billion.
21st Century Fox – Fox is willing to make concessions to U.K. regulators to win approval for its proposed acquisition of broadcaster Sky, according to a Bloomberg report.
Apple – Apple bought artificial intelligence startup Lattice Data for about $200 million, according to multiple reports.
Tesla – The automaker was downgraded to "equal-weight" from "overweight" at Morgan Stanley, which kept the price target at $305 per share compared to Friday's close of $324.81. Morgan Stanley notes the risk of Tesla having to go head to head with tech giants like Apple.