Stocks in the news: Lowe's, Cisco, General Electric

General Motors Co. reported a $1.2 billion loss Monday for the period since it left bankruptcy protection through Sept. 30, far better than previous quarters, and a sign that the auto giant is starting to turn around. GM also said it will begin repaying $6.7 billion in U.S. government loans with a $1.2 billion payment in December, and expects to repay the full amount by 2011.

Lowe's (LOW) said Monday its third-quarter profit fell 30% to $344 million, or 23 cents per share, as revenue declined 3% to $11.38 billion and same-store sales fell 7.5%. Customers continued to delay large purchases amid a weak economy, but Lowe's said some of the hardest-hit home markets are stabilizing. Excluding items, profit was 24 cents per share, inline with estimates.