GM, Ford, Tesla are Friday’s stocks to watch

Ford Motors Enlarge Image Ford's popular F150 pickup truck.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Among the companies whose shares are likely to see active trade in Friday's session are General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., with big auto makers slated to release monthly sales figures.

Tesla Motors Inc. is also expected to attract attention on the heels of data showing the popularity of its Model S with wealthy buyers.

U.S. auto sales totaled 1.23 million units in October, up 12.7% from a year earlier with GM's (GM)  sales projected to rise 10% to 215,274 vehicles, Edmunds.com said in a recent report. Ford's (F)  sales are estimated to jump 15.5% to 193,988 units.

"The government shutdown didn't impact consumers growing appetite for buying new vehicles. The expectations were that car buyers would wait on the sidelines, but because of pent-up demand and credit availability, car sales are expected to increase 7% from [September]," Alec Gutierrez, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said in the report.

Tesla Enlarge Image Tesla's Model S.

Tesla's (TSLA)  Model S outsold all other brands in eight of 25 wealthiest ZIP Codes this year, according to Edmunds.com, which dubbed it the newest must-have toy for the affluent. All eight locations are in California, led by Atherton, Calif., where the Model S accounted for 15.4% of all new car registrations, the online automobile website said Thursday. Atherton is next to Palo Alto, Tesla's home base.

After Thursday's closing bell, American International Group Inc. (AIG)  said its third-quarter profit rose to $2.2 billion from $1.9 billion a year ago. On a per-share basis, earnings rose to $1.46 from $1.13 in the third quarter of 2012. The strong growth in bottom line failed to lift AIG shares, with the stock down more than 2% in after-hours trading.

First Solar Inc. (FSLR)  late Thursday reported third-quarter adjusted profit of $2.28 a share, crushing the average estimate of $1.05 a share forecast by analysts. Shares of the solar-energy company jumped over 8% in after hours.

On Friday, Chevron Corp. (CVX)  is projected to report third-quarter earnings of $2.69 a share, according to a consensus survey by Fact Set.

/quotes/zigman/118354/delayed/quotes/nls/cboe CBOE 48.43, -0.86, -1.74% CBOE Holings Inc.

CBOE Holdings Inc. (CBOE)  is expected to report earnings of 45 cents a share in the third quarter. The stock was raised to outperform at Macquarie on Tuesday. "Despite the strong year-to-date stock performance and the stock trading at near all-time highs, we believe CBOE's revenue generation potential is still not priced in, with the growth potential of its VIX Futures product, continued strength of its proprietary index options business and a promising pipeline of products," Sameer Murukutla, an analyst at Macquarie, said in a report.

Madison Square Garden Co. (MSG)  is forecast to post fiscal first-quarter earnings of 21 cents a share.

WellCare Health Plans Inc. (WCG)  is likely to post earnings of $1.51 a share in the third quarter.

Washington Post Co. (WPO)  is scheduled to announce third-quarter results before the market opens. This will be the first quarterly earnings since the company was bought by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AXL)  is projected to report earnings of 56 cents a share in the third quarter.