Ann Inc –Hedge funds Red Alder and Engine Capital are ramping up their push for the Ann Taylor parent to sell itself. In an investor presentation to be given today, they say the company could be sold for as much as $65 per share.

Cognizant –The information technology provider is buying privately held TriZetto for $2.7 billion in cash . TriZetto is a developer of health care related software.

ABInBev , Molson Coors –These and other beer brewers will be on watch today, after SABMiller approached Heineken about a takeover. Heineken acknowledged that it was approached but said it preferred to remain independent. Separately, InBev is reportedly talking to banks about financing a $122 billion bid for SABMiller, according to Dow Jones.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Bankrate–Bankrate has appointed Steven Barnhart as interim chief financial officer, replacing Edward DiMaria, who has resigned as CFO but will be remaining as a Senior Vice President. Barnhart was most recently CFO at Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores. The move comes amid Bankrate's announcement that the SEC is formally investigating the financial information provider's accounting during 2012.

Costco–Citi initiated coverage on the warehouse retailer, giving its shares a "buy" rating, saying Costco provided consumers with a high-end buying experience without the traditional luxury markup.

RadioShack–The electronics retailer has appointed Holly Etlin as interim chief financial officer, replacing John Feray, who resigned last week for personal reasons. Etlin, who is a longtime advisor to RadioShack, also served as interim CFO from July 2013 to February 2014.

Seagate Technology—The hard disk drive maker raised its current quarter revenue forecast amid growth across all its business segments.

Cisco Systems–Cisco said Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff has decided not to stand for re-election to Cisco's board of directors.

United Rentals, Universal Health Services– The two companies will join the S&P 500 Index after the close of trading this Friday. They'll replace Graham Holdings and Peabody Energy, which will move to the . S&P said the moves will make each index more representative of its market capitalization range.

Danaher–The health care provider is buying Switzerland-based dental products company Nobel Biocare for $2.1 billion in cash. The press release describing the deal does not mention the potential for a tax inversion: Danaher said the Swiss company would operate as a stand-alone business.

Microsoft–The software giant will announce its widely reported purchase of Minecraft maker Mojang for $2.5 billion today, according to Reuters.

Apple–The tech giant will get a 0.15 percent cut from each transaction executed on its new Apple Pay system, according to the Financial Times.

Netflix–Netflix has launched in France, and has teamed up with Bouygues Telecom to offer its services on that company's set-top boxes.

Nokia–The stock was upgraded to "outperform" from "perform" at Oppenheimer.

—By CNBC's Peter Schacknow

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