Stocks in the news: Procter & Gamble, Motorola, Sprint, Exxon Mobil

TheProcter & Gamble Co. (PG) says profit dropped slightly in its first quarter to $3.35 billion, or 1.06 per share, as sales fell 6 percent to $19.8 billion with consumers around the world keeping tight reins on spending. Analysts expected earnings of 99 cents on $19.83 billion. The company also said it sees signs of a rebound in results that were better than expected, and a better sales outlook for the rest of the year. Shares were 2.5 percent higher ahead of the bell.

Motorola (MOT) reported an unexpected profit of $12 million, or a penny per share, for the third quarter as operating losses in its struggling mobile phone division narrowed. Excluding items, earnings were 2 cents per share. Analysts had expected a break-even quarter. Sales fell 27 percent to $5.4 billion, below expectations of $5.5 billion. Shares jumped nearly 9 percent in premarket trading.