CNBC
U.S. stock futures were flat Thursday ahead of two key before-the-bell economic reports. The S&P 500 on Wednesday crossed 4,500 for the first time ever, but ended slightly below that level for another record high close. The Nasdaq finished at another record. Both benchmarks were on five-session winning streaks heading into the open. The Dow saw its fourth straight positive session and inched closer to last week's record high close. (CNBC)
Dow stock Salesforce (CRM) rose 2% in Thursday's premarket, the morning after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, as well as robust forward guidance. (CNBC)
The 10-year Treasury yield was steady Thursday, one day after rising to its highest level in weeks. Traders will get the latest figures on weekly jobless claims and economic growth at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists expect 350,000 new claims for the week ended Aug. 21. That would be a slight increase from the previous week's pandemic-era low.
The government's second look at gross domestic product for the second quarter is seen rising slightly from the previous estimate to an annual rate of 6.7%. Several regional Federal Reserve presidents speak Thursday, ahead of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's Friday address to the virtual Jackson Hole, Wyoming, summit.
* Feds Esther George says it's time to start easing off on policy juice (CNBC)
IN THE NEWS TODAY
* U.S. still working to contact most of the estimated 1,500 Americans left in Afghanistan (CNBC)
STOCKS TO WATCH
Coty (COTY): the cosmetics maker's shares added 2.7% in the premarket after it said it expects a return to annual sales growth this year. Coty's adjusted loss for its latest quarter was 9 cents per share, 3 cents wider than expected, but sales did come in above Wall Street forecasts.
Dollar General (DG): The discount retailer beat estimates by 10 cents with adjusted quarterly earnings of $2.69 per share and revenue slightly above forecasts. Comparable store sales fell 4.7%, less than the 5.1% drop expected by analysts surveyed by StreetAccount. However, Dollar General did forecast lower-than-expected earnings for the full year, and its shares fell 2.9% in premarket trading.
Dollar Tree (DLTR): Dollar Tree shares fell 3.1% in premarket trading after the discount retailer posted a mixed quarter. Revenue fell below Street forecasts, while earnings of $1.23 per share did beat the consensus estimate of $1.
J.M. Smucker (SJM): The food producer earned an adjusted $1.90 per share for its latest quarter, 4 cents above estimates, with revenue slightly above Wall Street projections. However, Smucker cut its full-year forecast, noting higher input costs and supply chain disruption. Shares lost 1.9% in the premarket.
Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) The apparel retailer's shares slid 7% in the premarket, as revenue fell below analyst forecasts. Abercrombie did report an adjusted profit of $1.70 per share, compared with a 77-cent consensus estimate.
Ulta Beauty (ULTA: Ulta shares rallied 6.4% in the premarket after it more than doubled the $2.59 consensus estimate with a quarterly profit of $4.56 per share. The cosmetics retailer's revenue beat estimates as well, and it raised its full-year outlook as an overall improvement in the beauty industry continues.
Williams-Sonoma (WSM): Williams-Sonoma surged 15.2% in premarket trading following top and bottom-line beats as well as a raised outlook and a 20% dividend increase. The housewares retailer reported an adjusted quarterly profit of $3.24 per share compared with the $2.61 consensus estimate, as the pandemic-induced focus on homes and home decor continued.
Box (BOX) Box beat estimates by 2 cents with an adjusted quarterly profit of 21 cents per share, while the cloud storage company's revenue also came in above analyst forecasts. Box also raised its full-year revenue guidance, saying it continues to benefit from the "megatrend" of digital transformation. However, shares fell 1.7% in premarket action.
Snowflake (SNOW) Snowflake lost an adjusted 4 cents per share for its latest quarter, narrower than the 15-cent loss anticipated by Wall Street, while the database software company's revenue came in above consensus. Sales more than doubled from a year ago, but its overall loss widened compared with a year earlier. Snowflake jumped 5.2% in premarket trading.
Pure Storage (PSTG): Pure Storage soared 14.1% in the premarket after it nearly tripled the 5-cent consensus estimate with adjusted quarterly earnings of 14 cents per share. The cloud storage company's revenue also topped Street projections as subscription revenue rose 31% from a year ago.
Autodesk (ADSK): Autodesk shares tumbled 7.7% in premarket trading, as quarterly revenue was merely in line with estimates and its current-quarter earnings guidance disappointed investors. Autodesk did beat estimates by 8 cents for its latest quarter with adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.21 per share.
Western Digital (WDC): Western Digital is in talks for a possible $20 billion merger with Japanese chipmaker Kioxia, according to multiple reports. Talks are said to have heated up in recent weeks, and a deal could be reached as early as mid-September, according to people familiar with the matter. Western Digital rose 1% in the premarket.
CONTRIBUTORS
Matthew J. Belvedere
@Matt_Belvedere
Peter Schacknow
@peterschack
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