JPMorgan analyst Sterling Auty says court filings released after yesterday's market close indicate Netflix (NFLX) was granted a motion of summary invalidating all five of the remaining Rovi (ROVI) patents that were being contested. Auty expects Rovi to sell off on the news as investors consider what the ruling may do to the company's upcoming contract renewals with Comcast (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC), DirecTV (DTV) and DISH (DISH). The "big 4" choosing to litigate against Rovi is "certainly a possibility," but the companies have bigger patent infringement exposures than an over-the-top vendor like Netflix, Auty writes in a research note. He keeps a Neutral rating on Rovi.

Notable companies reporting before tomorrow's open, with earnings consensus, include Merck (MRK), consensus $1.87... Caterpillar (CAT), consensus $5.14... Comcast (CMSCA), consensus 99c... Honeywell (HON), consensus $2.17... Bristol-Myers (BMY), consensus ($4.44)... Altria (MO), consensus $1.15... Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP), consensus 35c... GE Vernova (GEV), consensus (37c)... Royal Caribbean (RCL), consensus $1.33... Tractor Supply (TSCO), consensus $1.72... Mobileye (MBLY), consensus (6c)... Textron (TXT), consensus $1.23... LabCorp (LH), consensus $3.48... Southwest Airlines (LUV), consensus (34c)... American Airlines (AAL), consensus (29c)... Harley-Davidson (HOG), consensus $1.51.

Comcast (CMCSA) is scheduled to announce quarterly results on April 25, while Paramount (PARA) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here