Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Disney — Shares jumped 7.8% after the entertainment giant announced a 50% increase to its dividend and higher-than-expected fiscal first-quarter earnings at $1.22 per share, compared to the consensus forecast from LSEG of 99 cents. Also lifting the stock was Disney’s positive guidance, as the company said it expects adjusted earnings to rise 20% to $4.60 per share in fiscal year 2024. Ralph Lauren — The stock popped 5.3% after the apparel maker posted a strong beat on earnings and revenue for its fiscal third quarter, saying it closed out the holiday shopping season with healthy inventory levels. Ralph Lauren reported earnings of $4.17 per share, excluding items, while analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of $3.57 per share. Revenue came out at $1.93 billion for the period, while analysts had forecasted $1.87 billion, per Factset. Ally Financial — Shares added 1.9% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the lender to overweight from equal weight, saying Ally is a strong way to play lower interest rates expected ahead. Mattel — Shares gained 2.6% after the Barbie toymaker posted fourth-quarter adjusted earnings on Wednesday of $0.29 per share, higher than $0.18 a year earlier. Mattel’s earnings and revenue of $1.62 billion for the period still fell short of consensus estimates, however, as analysts surveyed by LSEG called for earnings of 31 cents per share on $1.66 billion in revenue for the period. The company, which is anticipating soft sales growth this year, also announced a $1 billion share buyback program. PayPal — The stock plunged 9.4% after the online payments leader posted slightly disappointing guidance for the full year and first quarter, even though the company’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue beat estimates. PayPal forecast that year-over-year earnings per share growth for the first quarter would slow to the mid-single digits, compared to the LSEG consensus estimate of 8.7%…
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