Stock index futures slip; earnings and data eyed

Stock index futures pointed to a flat to lower open for Wall Street on Friday, reversing gains from the previous session on the last trading session of the month.

Futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq were flat to down 0.1 percent by 0825 GMT.

Shares on Wall Street rose on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Transportation Average <.DJT> closing at an all-time high.

Corporate results on tap include quarterly earnings from Caterpillar , the world's largest maker of heavy equipment, which is expected to show a more-than-tripling of profit from a year ago. Analysts predict earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31 against 36 cents a year ago.

Chevron is also scheduled to report earnings, with analysts expecting the second-largest U.S. oil company to show EPS of $3, against $2.36 a year ago.

Major macroeconomic data due later in the session is likely to provide further direction for equities, with the New York ISM figures for April due at 1230 GMT, the Chicago PMI numbers at 1345 GMT and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment for April scheduled for release at 1355 GMT.

In company news, Nasdaq OMX and IntercontinentalExchange are poised to go hostile in their bid for NYSE Euronext after shareholders ratcheted up pressure on the Big Board parent to get a better deal.

Samsung Electronics <005930.KS> filed its own U.S. lawsuit against Apple , accusing the iPad maker of infringing 10 patents in an escalation of the dispute over tablet and mobile technology.

French energy company Total SA offered to pay up to $1.37 billion for a majority stake in U.S. solar company SunPower Corp , one of the biggest moves ever by an oil and gas giant into the market for renewable energy.

After the closing bell, shares of both Research in Motion Shares and Microsoft after posting quarterly earnings

In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares ticked lower in early trade to snap a six-session rally. Volumes, however, were thin as Britain's markets were closed for a royal wedding holiday.

(Reporting by Harpreet Bhal; Editing by Mike Nesbit)