Ann Taylor's parent company reports major beat, Google CEO heads to Washington, Boeing pulls major upset

Here’s a look at some of the companies the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you today.

Starting with a big beat for Ascena Retail, the parent company of Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and Dress Barn. The company reported a surge in revenue and same-store sales last quarter and that pushed the stock up more than 20% in the pre-market.

Google’s CEO is heading to Washington this week for a private meeting, with GOP lawmakers. The Wall Street Journal says Sundar Pichai will answer questions about reports of biased search results. Google’s planned return to China will also be on the agenda. Pichai says he looks forward to answering a wide range of questions.

A huge upset for Boeing. It beat out Lockheed Martin, for a $2.4B military helicopter contract. The MH-139 choppers will replace the aging fleet of Huey helicopters for the air force. Delivery won’t happen until 2021. The Air Force Secretary calls the deal a victory for taxpayers, since it came in $1.7B lower than first estimated.

Job cuts are coming to Novartis. The drug maker is slashing some 2,000 positions in Switzerland. It’s part of the company’s plan to save $1B by 2020. The CEO is pushing efforts to transform Novartis from a high-volume company, into one that makes more personalized medications.

Walmart is turning to blockchain, to help keep customers safe. The retailer is telling lettuce suppliers they must upload data about their foods to a blockchain-based tracking system within a year. Walmart says the current tracking system is outdated, and blockchain will help them better stop future food-borne outbreaks.