Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: McDonald’s — Shares of the hamburger chain gained 1.9% after McDonald’s posted earnings of $3.38 per share, on an adjusted basis, compared to the LSEG consensus of $3.32 per share. Revenue of $7.1 billion, on the other hand, missed the anticipated $7.13 billion. Merck — The pharmaceutical stock gained more than 1% after Merck lost an adjusted 13 cents per share on revenue of $16.61 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a loss of 27 cents per share on revenue of $16.36 billion. The pharma giant also hiked its full-year revenue guidance. Palantir Technologies — The data analytics giant ripped 15% higher on blowout results for the second quarter that were powered by a nearly 150% surge in U.S. commercial revenue . Caterpillar — The industrial giant climbed 8% after Caterpillar posted second-quarter figures that beat analyst expectations. The company earned an adjusted $8.17 per share on revenue of $20.54 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of $6.20 per share on revenue of $19.34 billion. Pfizer — The pharma giant gained after posting second-quarter results that beat the Street. The company earned an adjusted 77 cents per share on revenue of $15.03 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of 68 cents per share on revenue of $14.41 billion. Pfizer also increased the low end of its full-year revenue outlook. — CNBC’s Fred Imbert contributed reporting
