A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Darden Restaurants — The Olive Garden parent reported quarterly earnings of $1.32 per share, five cents a share above estimates. Revenue was slightly above forecasts, with Olive Garden's 1.4 percent rise in comparable sales beating estimates by a comfortable margin. Separately, Darden announced the acquisition of casual restaurant chain Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen for $780 million in cash.

Red Hat — Red Hat matched Street forecasts with adjusted quarterly profit of 61 cents per share, while the Linux software company's revenue was well above estimates. Full-year earnings guidance also exceeded analysts' forecasts, as the company signed up new customers at a faster-than-expected pace.

Tesla — China-based investment firm Tencent has disclosed a five percent passive stake in the automaker, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Amazon.com — Amazon announced the acquisition of Mideast online retailer Souq.com for an undisclosed amount, beating out Dubai mall operator Emaar Malls. Terms were not disclosed but some news reports have put the price at $650 million or more.

McCormick — The spice maker reported adjusted quarterly profit of 76 cents per share, two cents a share above estimates. Revenue was slightly short of forecasts, however. McCormick said it was on track to save $100 million in costs this year.

Ericsson — Ericsson is revamping its managed services business, as well as exploring options for its money-losing media business. The telecom equipment maker will take a charge of up to roughly $1 billion to implement the changes.

American Airlines — American is taking a $200 million stake in China Southern Airlines. It is the second airline to take a stake in a Chinese carrier, with Delta having bought a stake in China Eastern Airlines in 2015.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals — Valeant was sued by former CEO Michael Pearson, who claimed the drugmaker did not pay him more than three million Valeant shares that he is owed. Pearson said the shares were due last November under terms of his separation agreement.

General Electric — GE closed the sale of its French consumer finance business, the last major sale that had been scheduled under its GE Capital exit plan.

Tesaro — The drugmaker received Food and Drug Administration approval for its ovarian cancer drug niraparib.

Mylan — A study by private drug pricing experts says that the drugmaker's proposed $465 million settlement with the government over EpiPen pricing is less than what it saved with its allegedly improper classification of the emergency allergy treatment as a generic.

Decker's Outdoor — The apparel and footwear maker is being pushed to explore a sale by activist investor Red Mountain, which owns about 3.3 percent of the company's outstanding shares. Another activist investor, Marcato Capital, owns a six percent stake in Deckers and has said it intends to discuss possible strategy and options with management.

PPG Industries — Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel said it would detail its strategy to remain independent on April 19, as it tries to dodge PPG's overtures after rejecting two bids from its U.S.-based rival.

Comcast — The NBCUniversal and CNBC parent and cable operator is planning to rebrand and expand its video streaming options for broadband subscribers who do not want a traditional cable package, according to a Reuters report.

MuleSoft — Investor Marc Stad reported a 6.5 percent passive stake in the applications network software maker, according to an SEC filing.