Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

, — Kraft Heinz confirmed that it has made a takeover proposal to Unilever. Although its initial proposal was turned down, Kraft said in a statement that it looked forward to coming to terms on a deal while warning there is no guarantee one will be reached. Unilever, however, said the $143 billion offer undervalues the company and that it does not see any basis for further talks.

— Deere earned 61 cents per share for its latest quarter, 6 cents above estimates, and its revenue also exceeded forecasts despite what Deere calls softness in its farming and construction equipment markets.

— The parent of North Face, Wrangler, and other apparel brands matched estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 97 cents per share, though revenue was slightly short. VF said it was pleased with its performance given the inconsistency of the U.S. marketplace.

— The bond rating service earned an adjusted $1.23 per share for its latest quarter, 1 cent below estimates. However, revenue exceeded forecasts, and Moody's also gave an upbeat outlook for the full year.

— The parent of Outback Steakhouse and other restaurant chains matched estimates with adjusted quarterly profit of 31 cents per share, though revenue came in below Street projections. The company sees 2017 comparable restaurant sales flat to slightly lower for 2017, and that it will close 43 underperforming restaurants.

— Credit Suisse downgraded the car rental company's stock to "underperform" from "neutral," pointing to a weak volume growth environment and "flattish" pricing.

— Activist investor Mantle Ridge said it was willing to adjust its demands regarding leadership at the railroad operator. Mantle Ridge owns about 4.9 percent of CSX and wants to install former Canadian Pacific Railway CEO Hunter Harrison as CSX Chief Executive Officer.

— The mobile payments company was rated "buy" in new coverage at Citi, which said Square could have potential 44 percent upside on its capability to disrupt the payments market.

— The company said it would be exploring strategic alternatives, which could lead to a sale of the company. It did not give a timetable for any decision, however. Separately, WebMD reported quarterly profit of 73 cents per share, 7 cents above estimates, with the medical website operator's revenue just above Street forecasts.

— TrueCar reported an adjusted loss of 1 cent per share for its latest quarter, smaller than the 5-cent loss than analysts had been predicting. The car-buying website operator also reported revenue that beat estimates, and its current quarter outlook also exceeds Street forecasts.

— Nu Skin missed estimates by 1 cent with adjusted quarterly profit of 79 cents per share, and the beauty and nutritional care products maker saw revenue miss forecasts as well with deferred revenue issues and product shortages in certain markets impacting its performance. Nu Skin also gave weaker than expected guidance for the current quarter and said it would name a new chief financial officer within a few weeks.

— Raytheon signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany's Rheinmetall to cooperate on defense technology.

— Chief Executive Mary Barra visited German carmaker Opel's headquarters and gave assurances that it would remain an independent company if a potential deal with Peugeot parent PSA Group comes to pass, according to published reports. The two sides have acknowledged that they are in talks about a possible sale of Opel.

— UnitedHealth is a legal target of the Justice Department, which has joined a 2011 lawsuit accusing the health insurer of overcharging Medicare by hundreds of millions of dollars. The company said it rejects the charges and will contest them vigorously.

— Mattel struck a partnership with China-based parenting website Babytree. The toymaker will create an online learnings platform aimed at early childhood development.

— The automaker reported a 4.9 percent drop in global January sales compared to a year ago.

— AT&T opened its unlimited wireless data plan to all customers, a few days after rival restored unlimited data plans for the first time since 2011. Previously, AT&T had only offered such plans to customers of its DirecTV service.

— Brookdale is in talks to be bought by health care facility operator , according to the Wall Street Journal. Private equity firm had been considering a purchase of Brookdale but dropped out. Ventas is said to be considering both a full or partial purchase of the senior living center operator.

— Cree canceled its deal to sell its Wolfspeed Power division to German chipmaker , after the U.S. government expressed security concerns relating to the $850 million transaction. The LED lighting maker will receive a termination fee of $12.5 million as a result of the cancellation.