TWTR - 7 stocks to watch for Thursday: Twitter McDonald's Merck and more

The futures pointed to a mixed opening on Thursday, following up on an uncertain session the day before. Wall Street has been digesting sometimes contradictory financial reports from major companies. Meanwhile, the earnings flood continued going into Thursday's action -- here are some stocks to watch:

• Twitter ( NYSE: TWTR ) is set to delist from New York Stock Exchange effective on Friday, as Elon Musk completes his deal to buy the social media giant. Under the $44B transaction, which will take TWTR private, Musk is paying $54.20 per share for the company.
• McDonald's ( MCD ) rose nearly 3% in premarket trading after the company surpassed expectations with its Q3 earnings. Revenues dropped 5% from last year, dragged down by unfavorable currency exchange. Global comparable sales climbed 9.5%, including a 6.1% increase in the U.S.
• Altria ( MO ) edged down in premarket action following the release of disappointing Q3 results . Looking ahead, the firm narrowed its 2022 forecast, predicting adjusted EPS for the year of $4.81 to $4.89. Shares slipped 1% before the opening bell.
• Merck ( MRK ) reported quarterly results that beat expectations on both its top and bottom lines. Bolstered by 20% growth in its cancer drug Keytruda, revenue jumped about 14% from last year. This came even as sales of its COVID pill Lagevrio plunged.
• Comcast ( CMCSA ) reported a quarterly profit that exceeded expectations . Revenue also came in above projections, despite dropping nearly 2% from last year. The top-line figure totaled $29.85B, beating analysts' consensus by $120M.
• Apple ( AAPL ) is set to report its quarterly results after the closing bell. The iPhone maker is expected to post a normalized EPS of $1.27 on revenue of $88.77B. Meanwhile, analysts are looking for the company's guidance to set the tone for the tech sector .
• The list of big names releasing quarterly results after the closing bell includes Intel ( INTC ) as well. Wall Street experts are looking for a normalized profit of $0.33 per share, with a revenue consensus of $15.31B. Investors will be looking for commentary about the health of the PC market , as well as any additional information about the recent Mobileye IPO.

For more of the ripple effects from the Twitter takeover, see why Wedbush believes the closing of the deal removes an overhang over Tesla's stock .

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