Stock futures steady as investors remain cautious - MarketWatch

Stock futures steady as investors remain cautious - MarketWatch

Crude oil prices held steady after coming off highs earlier in the week. The April-dated light crude price fell 14 cents to $98.09 a barrel.

Among companies in focus, shares in Intuit (INTU:

INTU

) may come under pressure after the software group reported a 21% decline in second-quarter profit late Thursday.

Shares in Express Scripts (ESRX:

ESRX

on the other hand, may rise after its earnings topped forecasts and revenue also edged higher.

In other earnings news, insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings (FFH:

FFH) reported its fourth-quarter profit more than tripled to $563.6 million as successful bets on the mortgage meltdown helped boost its investment income.

AstraZeneca (AZN:

AZN) said it will appeal a court ruling in Alabama that awarded over $200 million of damages to the state's Medicaid agency in a dispute over drug pricing.

Motorola Inc. (MOT:

MOT) named Paul Liska as its new chief financial officer, effective March 1.

Among companies due to report earnings, Energy-based holding company PG&E Corp. (PCG:

PCG) is projected to report a fourth-quarter profit of 56 cents a share.

Most Asian markets were in retreat, with exporters weighing on the Japanese market. European stocks were also lower, with the German DAX 30 the biggest faller of the main indexes -- down 1% -- after weak results from heavyweight utility RWE