Retail earnings took center stage Thursday, and the signals were sharply mixed. Walmart suffered its biggest drop in years after a rare sales miss, while Ross Stores rallied on strong demand for discounted goods $Wal-Mart(WMT)$-9.2% Walmart is the largest U.S. retailer, selling groceries, household goods, apparel and general merchandise through stores and online. Walmart reported adjusted EPS of $0.81, while revenue came in around $187.9 billion, both above expectations. The weak spot was U.S. comparable sales, which rose just 2.6%, well below the 3.8% analysts expected and the slowest growth in six years. The company still raised its full-year outlook, forecasting sales growth of 4%–5% and adjusted EPS of $2.80–$2.87. But traffic growth slowed, co

Consumer earnings were in focus Wednesday, and the market reactions were surprisingly strong. Estée Lauder surged 16% as China and fragrance demand improved, while Target gained 4% after raising its full-year outlook. Lowe’s also moved higher despite softer sales, while TJX fell even after beating expectations. $Estee Lauder(EL)$ +16.3% Estée Lauder is a global beauty company behind brands including Estée Lauder, Clinique, M.A.C, Tom Ford Beauty and Le Labo. Estée Lauder delivered a strong finish to fiscal 2026, with Q4 sales of $3.63 billion, ahead of the $3.54 billion Wall Street expected. Adjusted EPS came in at $0.39, beating the $0.32 consensus. Luxury fragrance remained the standout. Fragrance sales rose 10%, helped by Tom Ford and Le Labo, wh

Tuesday delivered several sharp earnings moves. Baidu was the biggest high-profile loser as its advertising business weakened, while Amer Sports gained on another strong quarter. After the bell, La-Z-Boy plunged and Keysight bounced on a beat-and-raise report. $Klarna Group plc(KLAR)$-23% Klarna is a Swedish fintech company best known for “buy now, pay later” payment services. Klarna reported Q2 revenue of $1.04 billion, up 27% year over year, while the company swung to a $9 million net profit, better than expectations for a loss. GMV rose 18% to $36.6 billion, with U.S. GMV growing 27%. The problem was guidance. Klarna cut its 2026 revenue forecast to $4.08 billion–$4.16 billion, down from $4.34 billion previously, and lowered GMV guidance to $14

Applied Materials beat expectations and issued a strong AI-driven outlook, but still fell after hours. Tapestry sank nearly 17% as investors focused on weak growth at Kate Spade and a cautious sales forecast. $Applied Materials(AMAT)$ -5% after hours Applied Materials reported quarterly revenue of $9.12 billion, above Wall Street’s $8.99 billion estimate. The chip-equipment maker also guided for next-quarter revenue of about $10.25 billion, well ahead of the $9.54 billion consensus, while adjusted EPS guidance of $4.02 topped expectations of $3.69. AI spending remains the main driver. Applied now expects advanced-packaging revenue to grow more than 70% in 2026, up from its previous forecast of more than 50%, as chipmakers keep investing in DRAM, l

The latest earnings batch delivered another reminder that good AI numbers are no longer enough on their own. Cisco and Coherent both topped Wall Street expectations on August 12, yet their shares fell after hours, while Cerebras dropped sharply after revenue came in light. $Cisco(CSCO)$ -4% after hours Cisco posted fiscal Q4 revenue of $17.25 billion, above the $16.82 billion expected by analysts, while adjusted EPS of $1.22 also beat the $1.17 consensus. AI infrastructure orders reached $4 billion in the quarter and $9.3 billion for the full fiscal year. The outlook was strong as well. Cisco expects fiscal 2027 revenue of $72.2 billion to $73.4 billion, comfortably above Wall Street’s roughly $68.7 billion estimate, and sees AI infrastructure rev

Intel is set to report second-quarter earnings after the market close on Thursday, July 23. Analysts expect the company to report revenue of around $14.4 billion and adjusted earnings of approximately $0.20-$0.22 per share. $Intel(INTC)$ Intel shares have surged more than 160% year to date, driven by stronger server CPU demand, rising AI data center investment and growing expectations for its 18A foundry process. However, the stock has also pulled back more than 30% from its June high, showing that investors remain divided over whether the turnaround can live up to expectations. What to Watch Data center growth will be the biggest focus. Intel’s Data Center and AI segment generated $5.1 billion in first-quarter revenue, up 22% year

Tesla is set to report second-quarter earnings after the market close on Wednesday, July 22. Analysts expect Tesla to report second-quarter revenue of around $26 billion and earnings of approximately $0.50-$0.54 per share. Automotive gross margin excluding regulatory credits is expected to remain above 18%. $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ $Direxion Daily TSLA Bull 2X Shares(TSLL)$ The company has already reported Q2 deliveries of 480,126 vehicles, up around 25% year over year, showing signs of recovery after several challenging quarters. However, investors are looking beyond delivery numbers. The key questions now are whether Tesla can stabilize margins, improve cash flow, and prove t