Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Tesla — The electric car maker unveiled two new vehicles on Thursday, including a roadster that can drive 620 miles on one charge and a Semi tractor trailer. A day after the unveiling, trucker company J.B. Hunt said it has reserved "multiple" Semis. Tesla shares rose 3.9 percent in the premarket.

21st Century Fox — Comcast is interested in acquiring the same set of assets Walt Disney is interested in acquiring from Fox, sources told CNBC. A Comcast-Fox deal would have the same regulatory issues that Disney would have in acquiring the Fox assets, the sources said. Fox shares jumped 7.3 percent before the bell. Dow Jones reported that Verizon Communications is also interested in acquiring the same assets. (Disclosure: Comcast owns CNBC parent NBCUniversal.)

Applied Materials — Applied Materials reported quarterly earnings of 93 cents per share, surpassing analysts' expectations. The company's sales topped estimates, as well. Applied Materials also issued strong guidance for its fiscal first quarter.

Gap — Gap shares shot up more than 7 percent before the bell after the retailer posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue. Its same-store sales — a key metric for retailers — rose 3 percent in the quarter, above an estimate of 1 percent. The company's full 2017 adjusted earnings guidance also surpassed Wall Street expectations.

Square — Analysts at Evercore ISI upgraded the mobile payment company's stock to "outperform" and more than doubled its price target to $51 from $25 a share. The analysts said Square could grow its revenue by 40 percent and 35 percent in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

L Brands — Victoria's Secret parent company was upgraded to "outperform" from "sector perform" by analysts at RBC Capital Markets. In a note, RBC said L Brands was "entering a period of positive revisions" as fundamental improvements help Victoria's Secret sales.

Ross Stores — The off-price retailer posted third-quarter results that topped Wall Street expectations. Ross Stores also issued strong fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 earnings guidance.

Foot Locker — Foot Locker shot up 22 percent in the premarket after its third-quarter earnings topped estimates. The company maintained leaner inventory and sold more premium products compared to the first half of 2017.

Splunk — Splunk shares rose more than 14 percent after the company's third-quarter revenue easily surpassed analysts' expectations. The company's sales for the quarter totaled $328.7 million, versus an estimate of $309.2 million.

Barnes & Noble — The company said a proposed deal by Sandell Asset Management to take it private was not "bona fide," adding: "Sandell is the beneficial owner of 1 million common Barnes & Noble shares worth approximately $7 million." Sandell came to Barnes & Noble with a deal that would value the books seller $9 a share, or approximately $650 million.

Caesars Entertainment — The casino operator said it will acquire gaming company Centaur Holdings for $1.7 billion.

—Reuters contributed to this report.