Premarket Roundup: Gap, Salesforce.com

Among the premarket stories for Friday, August 21, from AP Financial News:

NEW YORK (AP) — Better sales are finally in view for Gap Inc., analysts said Friday, after the owner of the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic chains posted results for the second quarter. The retailer's shares rose in premarket trading.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Salesforce.com Inc. jumped in pre-market trading Friday after its second-quarter results beat expectations and the maker of sales management software raised its full-year outlook.

NEW YORK (AP) — Analysts said Friday that Aeropostale Inc. is off to a strong back-to-school season, after the teen apparel retailer posted a higher second-quarter profit on strong same-store sales growth.

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal rebates may boost traffic during the holiday season for appliance sellers, including Lowe's Cos. and Best Buy Co., which have struggled during the recession as consumers scale back on discretionary, big-ticket purchases, an analyst said Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Nordson Corp., which makes equipment for applying adhesives and coatings to packaging, autos and appliances, rose Friday after its third-quarter profit beat expectations and it issued a better-than-expected forecast.