Altria, Southwest Airlines, PayPal, Apple, Broadcom: Companies to Watch

Here are the companies the Yahoo Finance team is watching for you today.

Tobacco giant Altria (MO) is writing down $4.1 billion from its investment in Juul. That's in connection to the number of legal cases pending against the e-cigarette company, but Altria's CEO revealed it can get out of its Juul deal if the company is banned from selling vaping products in the U.S.

Southwest Airlines (LUV) is in the spotlight ahead of a government report set to be released that says that the airline failed to prioritize safety, according to the Wall Street Journal. Southwest pilots reportedly flew more than 17 million passengers on planes with unconfirmed maintenance records over roughly two years. The report criticizes the FAA's oversight of the airline and shows that there were no agency enforcement actions taken after any slip-ups.

PayPal (PYPL) posted a beat for its fourth quarter earnings, but the company’s forecast for the current quarter fell short as it tries to fend off competition in the digital payments space. PayPal is also gearing up for a change in its relationship with eBay (EBAY) and is trying to incorporate its recent purchase of coupon service Honey.

It’s been a rough day for Apple (AAPL) and Broadcom (AVGO). A court ruled both companies will pay the California Institute of Technology for infringing on a Wi-Fi technology patent. Apple will pay $838 million, while Broadcom will dish out more than $270 million. Apple said it will appeal the verdict, and both companies deny infringing on anyone's patents.