moves premarket: BIG, GCO, ULTA, DIS, FIVE, VMW
Big Lots – The discount retailer reported adjusted quarterly profit of 6 cents per share, 2 cents a share above estimates. Revenue was roughly in line with expectations. Comparable sales were up 1 percent, shy of the 1.5 percent consensus estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, but Big Lots did raise its full-year earnings forecast.
Genesco – The apparel seller reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.02 per share, 10 cents a share shy of estimates. Revenue and comparable-store sales topped forecasts, however. Genesco also cut its full-year forecast, pointing in part for dampened demand for NFL-themed merchandise.
Ulta Beauty — The cosmetics retailer reported quarterly profit of $1.70 per share, 3 cents a share above estimates. Revenue matched forecasts, while comparable-store sales jumped 10.3 percent. Ulta's forecast for the current quarter came in below Street forecasts.
Walt Disney — Disney is suing DVD rental company Redbox, seeking to stop Redbox from selling digital copies of Disney movies. Redbox had begun offering consumers codes for downloads last month, at prices lower than on other services like Apple's iTunes.
Five Below – Five Below came in ... 5 above. The discount retailer posted earnings of 18 cents per share, compared to estimates of 13 cents. Revenue beat forecasts, as well. Comparable-store sales were up 8.5 percent, well above the 4.4 percent consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. Five Below also raised its full-year forecast.
VMWare – VMWare beat estimates by 7 cents a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.34 per share. The maker of virtualization software also saw revenue come in above forecasts. The results were boosted by a jump in licensing revenue.
Ambarella – Ambarella reported quarterly profit of 75 cents per share, 8 cents a share above estimates. The maker of video processing chips also saw revenue come in slightly above forecasts. Ambarella is a major supplier to camera maker GoPro and it also makes chips used in autonomous driving technology.
Amazon.com — Amazon is in talks with generic drugmakers about entering the pharmacy space, sources told CNBC. High-level talks are currently being held with Mylan and Sandoz, although the nature of Amazon's pharmaceutical plans is not yet clear.
Blue Apron — Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Matt Salzberg has stepped down, replaced by Chief Financial Officer Brad Dickerson. Another co-founder, Matthew Wadiak, had left his role as the meal kit company's chief operating officer in July. Salzberg is staying on as executive chairman and will focus on the company's growth strategy.
Royal Bank of Scotland — RBS is shutting down 259 branches and cutting 680 jobs as part of a cost reduction move.
Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts — These and other casino companies operating in Macau may benefit after monthly tallies showed casino revenue in the Chinese territory jumping 22.6 percent in November compared to a year earlier. That marked the 16th consecutive month of gains.
Western Digital – The hard disk drive maker and Toshiba are said to be near resolution of the legal dispute over the sale of Toshiba's semiconductor unit, according to a Reuters report.
Foundation Medicine – The company's test that detects cancer-causing gene mutations won approval both from the Food and Drug Administration and from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It's the second test to receive coordinated approval from the two entities under the government's "Parallel Review Program."
Monsanto – Monsanto's planned deal to be bought by Germany's Bayer was cleared by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS). Bayer said CFIUS saw no national security concerns with its planned purchase of the agricultural chemicals maker. The two sides aim to complete the transaction in early 2018.