Top Midday Stories: Tech Giants' Earnings Top Estimates, Reactions Mixed; Eli Lilly Lifts Outlook After Estimate-Beating Q1 Earnings
All three major US stock indexes were up in late-morning trading Thursday, as investors digest a slew of earnings reports from the giant tech companies as well as the Federal Reserve's decision Wednesday to leave interest rates unchanged.In company news, Meta Platforms (META) reported Q1 earnings late Wednesday of $10.44 per diluted share, up from $6.43 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus analyst estimate of $6.67. Meta Q1 revenue was $56.31 billion, up from $42.31 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $55.56 billion. For Q2, Meta said it expects revenue of $58 billion to $61 billion, compared to the FactSet consensus of $59.48 billion. Full-year 2026 capital expenditures are expected to be between $125 billion and $145 billion, up from the prior outlook of $115 billion to $135 billion, Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said on a call with analysts. The daily active people average for March was 3.56 billion, up 4% year over year but down slightly quarter over year due to internet disruptions in Iran and WhatsApp restrictions in Russia, the company said. After the earnings report, Meta commenced a US investment-grade bond sale in as many as six parts through which it is looking to raise up to $25 billion. Meta shares were down 9.5% around midday.Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) reported Q1 earnings late Wednesday of $5.11 per diluted share, up from $2.81 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus estimate of $2.63. Alphabet Q1 revenue was $109.9 billion, up from $90.2 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $106.96 billion. The tech giant raised it quarterly cash dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21 per share, payable June 15 to shareholders of record as of June 8. Alphabet's Class C and Class A shares were up 7.2% and 7.3%, respectively.Amazon (AMZN) reported Q1 earnings late Wednesday of $2.78 per diluted share, up from $1.59 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $1.63. Amazon Q1 revenue was $181.52 billion, up from $155.67 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $177.28 billion. For Q2, the company said it expects revenue of $194 billion to $199 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $188.96 billion. Amazon shares were down 1.2%.Microsoft (MSFT) reported fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings late Wednesday of $4.27 per diluted share, up from $3.54 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $4.05. Fiscal Q3 revenue was $82.89 billion, up from $70.07 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $81.40 billion. Microsoft shares were down 4.5%.Eli Lilly (LLY) reported Q1 non-GAAP earnings Thursday of $8.55 per diluted share, up from $3.34 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $6.97. Lilly Q1 revenue was $19.80 billion, up from $12.73 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $17.82 billion. For full-year 2026, the company said it expects adjusted EPS of $35.50 to $37.00, up from its previous guidance of $33.50 to $35.00 and above the FactSet consensus of $34.51. Full-year revenue is expected to be between $82 billion and $85 billion, up from its previous outlook of $80 billion to $83 billion and compared to the FactSet consensus of $82.07 billion. Eli Lilly shares were up 8.1%.Qualcomm (QCOM) reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings late Wednesday of $2.65 per diluted share, down from $2.85 a year earlier but above the FactSet consensus of $2.56. Fiscal Q2 revenue was $10.60 billion, down from $10.97 billion a year ago but above the FactSet consensus of $10.69 billion. For fiscal Q3, the company said it expects adjusted EPS of $2.10 to $2.30, below the FactSet consensus of $2.42. Fiscal Q3 revenue is expected to be between $9.20 billion to $10 billion, below the FactSet consensus of $10.19 billion. CFO Akash Palkhiwala said on the company's earnings call that the company expects shipments to Chinese Android customers to recover after inventory corrections. Qualcomm also said it has secured a "multi-generation engagement" with a leading hyperscaler, with initial shipments expected to begin later this year. Qualcomm shares were up 18.0%.Caterpillar (CAT) reported Q1 adjusted profit Thursday of $5.54 per share, up from $4.25 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $4.65. Total Q1 sales and revenue were $17.42 billion, up from $14.25 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $16.53 billion. For full-year 2026, the company said it expects low double-digit sales and revenue growth, higher year-over-year free cash flow in its primary operating segment of machinery, power and energy, and adjusted operating profit margin near the bottom of the target range. Caterpillar shares were up 8.6%.Mastercard (MA) reported Q1 adjusted earnings Thursday of $4.60 per diluted share, up from $3.73 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $4.41. Net Q1 revenue was $8.40 billion, up from $7.25 billion a year ago and above the FactSet consensus of $8.26 billion. Mastercard shares were down 3.6%.Stellantis (STLA) reported Q1 adjusted earnings Thursday of 40.21 per diluted share, upf rom $0.04 a year earlier and above the FactSet consensus of $0.19. Net Q1 revenue was $38.13 billion, up from $25.81 billion ay ear ago but below the FactSet consensus from four analysts of $44.95 billion. For full-year 2026, the company said it expects mid-single-digit net revenue growth. Stellantis shares were down 4.9%.Price: $606.15, Change: $-62.97, Percent Change: -9.41%
