Check out the companies making headlines before the market opens. Cheesecake Factory – Shares of Cheesecake Factory rose more than 3% after activist investor JCP Investment Management took a stake in the company and asked it to consider spinning off its three brands into an independent company. General Motors — Shares of General Motors fell slightly even though the automaker reported third-quarter results that beat analysts’ expectations. The company had adjusted earnings per share of $2.96 on revenue of $48.76 billion. Analysts polled by London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) expected profits of $2.43 per share on revenue of $44.59 billion. General Motors also raised its full-year outlook. SAP — Shares of the U.S.-listed enterprise software provider rose more than 3% after the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter profit and revenue. SAP also raised its full-year cloud and software revenue guidance. GE Aerospace – The defense company’s shares fell nearly 5% after third-quarter revenue missed expectations. GE Aviation reported adjusted revenue of $8.94 billion, while analysts expected $9.02 billion, according to LSEG. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.15, just 1 cent above consensus estimates. Deckers Outdoor — Shares of the footwear and apparel maker fell 2.9% after BTIG downgraded its rating to neutral from buy. The company said signs of slowing growth put the stock price at risk. First Solar — The stock rose 1.8% after Citi upgraded it to buy from neutral. Citi said First Solar should benefit no matter who wins next month’s U.S. presidential election. AppLovin — The app technology stock rose 1% after Loop Capital gave the stock a buy rating. Analyst Rob Sanderson said the company provides “essential infrastructure for the mobile gaming industry” and could be a key player for investors looking to get exposure to big data and artificial intelligence. 3M — 3M shares rose 5% after the company reported third-quarter earnings of $1.98 per share on revenue of $6.07 billion. Analysts had expected earnings of $1.90 per share and revenue of $6.06 billion, according to LSEG. Zions Bancorporation — Shares of Zions Bancorporation rose more than 2% after the Utah-based regional bank reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly report. Zions earned $1.37 per share on revenue of $792 million. Analysts polled by London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) expected earnings of $1.17 a share on revenue of $779 million. Zions’ net interest margin increased compared with the same period last year. Nucor — Nucor Steel Corp. said it expects GAAP earnings per share to decline in the current period from the previous quarter, sending the steelmaker’s shares down nearly 3%. Still, the company’s third-quarter adjusted profit and revenue beat expectations. Danaher — Shares of Danaher rose 1.8% after the life sciences and diagnostics company reported third-quarter results that beat expectations. Danaher attributed the strong numbers to “positive momentum” in its bioprocessing business. Sherwin-Williams — Shares of Sherwin-Williams fell 6.5% after the paint maker reported disappointing third-quarter results. Sherwin-Williams reported adjusted earnings of $3.37 per share, missing StreetAccount’s estimate of $3.55 per share. Its revenue of $6.16 billion also fell short of Wall Street expectations of $6.2 billion. —CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Michelle Fox, Alex Harring, Fred Imbert, Hakyung Kim, Sarah Min and Jesse Pound contributed reporting.
