The fourth quarter earnings season momentum continues this week, with results from Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), AMD (AMD), Qualcomm (QCOM), and Palantir (PLTR) highlighting the calendar.

As of Jan. 30, 33% of S&P 500 (^GSPC) companies have reported fourth quarter results, according to FactSet data, and Wall Street analysts estimate an 11.9% increase in earnings per share for the fourth quarter. If that rate holds, it would represent the 10th consecutive quarter of annual earnings growth for the index and the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

Heading into the reporting period, analysts were expecting an 8.3% jump in earnings per share, down from the third quarter's 13.6% earnings growth rate. Wall Street has raised its earnings expectations in recent months, especially for tech companies, which have driven earnings growth in recent quarters.

Big Tech results set the tone, as capital expenditures continue apace. Plus, the themes that drove the markets in 2025 — artificial intelligence, the Trump administration's tariff and economic policies, and a K-shaped consumer economy — continue to provide plenty for investors to parse.

This week, investors will hear updates from companies including Disney (DIS), Chipotle (CMG), PepsiCo (PEP), Uber (UBER), and Snap (SNAP).

PayPal (PYPL) stock fell 15% before the bell on Tuesday after issuing a disappointing profit forecast for 2026 and reporting fourth quarter earnings below Wall Street estimates. The online payment company said it had been pressured by weaker US retail spending and slow growth within its branded checkout segment.

The group also named HP's (HPQ) Enrique Lores as president and CEO, effective ‌March 1.

Reuters reports:

Retail spending has softened as cautious consumers, squeezed by still-high interest rates, stubbornly high living costs and signs of a softening labor market, cut back on discretionary purchases and prioritize everyday necessities, a pattern highlighted by major retailers and consumer goods companies as households navigate tighter ⁠budgets.

PayPal expects full-year adjusted profit ‌to decline in the low-single digit percentage to increase slightly, compared with Wall Street expectations of about 8% growth, according to data compiled ‍by LSEG.

It reported revenue of $8.68 billion for the holiday quarter, missing the estimate of $8.80 billion. Total payment volume rose 6% on an FX-neutral basis to $475.1 billion.

Read more here.

Pfizer (PFE) topped Wall Street estimates for the fourth quarter profit on Tuesday. The company's earnings were boosted by continued demand for its older drugs, such as blood thinner Eliquis and heart disease drug Vyndaqel.

The pharmaceutical group's stock fell 1% before the bell.

Reuters reports:

On an adjusted ​basis, the ‌company reported a profit of 66 cents per share, compared to ⁠analysts estimates ​of 57 ​cents per share, according to ‍data ⁠compiled by LSEG.

Read more here.

Reuters reports:

Merck & Co (MRK) on Tuesday forecast 2026 sales and profits below Wall Street estimates as the loss of patent exclusivity on diabetes drug Januvia and other medicines will ​hit harder than analysts are projecting.

The weaker-than-anticipated outlook overshadowed a fourth-quarter report in which the U.S. ‌drugmaker beat expectations, driven by strong demand for its blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruda.

Shares of the drugmaker fell 1.6% in premarket trading.

The company expects ‌2026 revenue of $65.5 billion to $67.0 billion, with the high end of the range falling short of the average analyst estimate of $67.6 billion, according to LSEG data.

Read more here.

PepsiCo (PEP) beat analysts' estimates for fourth quarter revenue on Tuesday, as strong demand for its drinks in international markets, as well as strength in its low-sugar beverages in the US helped the food and beverage giant to reiterate its 2026 forecast.

Reuters reports:

Demand for more localized flavors of both snacks and sodas in countries ‌such as India and Brazil boosted sales, even as it overhauls its portfolio in the U.S. to meet the shifting tastes of consumers.

The company announced a review of its North America supply chain ⁠in December, weeks after ‌activist investor Elliott Management built a stake and pushed for big changes at its struggling food business.

PepsiCo ‍stuck to its annual core earnings per share target of 5% to 7% growth that it had issued in December.

PepsiCo, like other consumer-facing companies such ​as P&G and Coca-Cola, have turned focus to lower entry ‌price points and smaller pack sizes as U.S. consumers looked to make their budgets last in the face of inflation and challenges such as the government shutdown last year that delayed access to food stamp benefits.

Read more here.

Speaking about the company's Q4 results and recent sell-off in software stocks, Palantir CEO Alex Karp said that there's no guarantee the company won't be disrupted by artificial intelligence but that the company's investments in AI are paying off.

\\"Honestly, it looks like the products and the culture we have are ideally built for the time we are in now,\\" Karp told Yahoo Finance's Josh Lipton. \\"We are a different species of company.\\"

Palantir stock was up 5% as the earnings call began. Join a livestream of the earnings call here.

\\"Honestly, it looks like the products and the culture we have are ideally built for the time we are in now,\\" Palantir CEO Alex Karp told @joshuahlipton on AI competition. \\"We are a different species of company.\\" pic.twitter.com/Cj0ML6KyRY

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) February 2, 2026

NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) stock skidded 5% lower in extended hours after the semiconductor company's Automotive revenue failed to impress investors.

In the fourth quarter, NXP reported adjusted profits of $3.35 per share, surpassing Wall Street estimates for adjusted earnings of $3.31 per share. The company posted revenue of $3.34 billion, slightly above expectations for $3.3 billion.

\\"Throughout 2025, we executed effectively despite a challenging first half, maintaining operational discipline while advancing our strategic priorities in software defined vehicles and physical AI,\\" NXP's CEO Rafael Sotomayor said.

Revenue growth for NXP's Automotive segment, which contributes over half of NXP's total revenue, moderated to a 5% annual rate from the third quarter's 6% growth. The segment brought in $1.8 billion in Q4, which came in a bit lighter than expectations for $1.9 billion.

The Industrial and Internet of Things unit reported 24% annual revenue growth ($640 million), the Mobile unit reported 22% revenue growth ($485 million), and Communication Infrastructure declined by 18% year over year ($334 million).

For the first quarter, NXP forecast revenue of $3.15 billion at the midpoint and diluted earnings per share of $4.21, which were ahead of the Street's estimates for $3.09 billion in revenue and $2.95 per share, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Palantir stock (PLTR) surged more than 6% immediately after reporting results, as US commercial and government revenue drove better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter.

Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton reports:

Palantir posted fourth quarter earnings and revenue above Wall Street’s expectations on Monday, bolstered by sales to the Trump administration and US businesses.

The company’s revenue surged 70% from the year-earlier period to $1.4 billion, ahead of the $1.3 billion expected by Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg. Its adjusted earnings per share rose to $0.25 from $0.14 during the previous year, above the projected $0.23.

Palantir’s first quarter revenue guidance of $1.5 billion was also higher than the $1.3 billion estimated by analysts. And its full year revenue outlook of roughly $7.2 billion was above the expected $6.3 billion.

The firm’s outperformance in the fourth quarter was boosted by its domestic sales. Palantir’s US commercial revenue surged 137% to $507 million — greater than the $479 million projected — and its US government revenue jumped 66% to $570 million — more than analysts’ estimate of $522 million for the segment.

Read more here.

Wall Street expects Palantir (PLTR) to report another blowout quarter when it releases quarterly results after the closing bell on Monday.

Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton previews what to expect when Palantir reports:

The company is expected to see earnings per share soar to $0.23 from $0.14 in the year-ago period, while revenue is expected to surge more than 60% to $1.3 billion, according to analyst estimates tracked by Bloomberg.

While Palantir sells its enterprise software to both companies and governments, its sales to US businesses are expected to continue growing at a faster pace than its other segments, with revenue from commercial US sales projected to rise nearly 124% from the previous year to $479 million, per Bloomberg data.

Still, analysts expect revenue from sales to the US government to account for the highest share — roughly 40% — of Palantir’s revenue. Wall Street sees its US government businesses bringing in $522 million in the fourth quarter, up nearly 52% from 2024.

Read more here.

Big Tech winners and laggards emerged over the past week as Wall Street looked through earnings releases for clear signs of returns on AI investments to determine market leaders.

Yahoo Finance's Ines Ferré reports:

Meta stock (META) jumped over 10% in one day as investors cheered productivity gains and the integration of AI across the company’s social media apps, advertising and shopping tools, and internal workflows.

Meanwhile, Tesla (TSLA) shares rebounded on Friday after selling off as investors weighed a massive spending forecast after Elon Musk underscored the company's transition from an electric vehicle maker to autonomous driving and robotics.

And tech giant Microsoft's stock (MSFT) was hammered following its results amid concerns over slowing cloud growth and massive AI-related spending. Shares in cloud software leaders Salesforce (CRM) and ServiceNow (NOW) also tumbled on worries that AI could disrupt the software-as-a-service model.

“It comes down to monetization. That’s what the Street wants to see here,” Wedbush Securities managing director and global head of technology research Dan Ives told Yahoo Finance on Friday.

\\"I think what you're seeing is really a bifurcation in tech. It's kind of the haves and the have-nots, and that's really what's playing out across tech earnings,\\" he added.

Read more here.

Tyson Foods reported better-than-expected first quarter results on Monday before market open, boosted by volume growth in chicken that offset the decline in beef.

The volume \\"shortfall\\" in beef alone was roughly 133 million pounds from the fourth quarter to the first quarter, CEO Donnie King told Yahoo Finance exclusively in an interview. The major decline was countered by growth in chicken, pork, its prepared business like Jimmy Dean, and the international segment, leading to a net decline of 22 million pounds overall.

Chicken prices fell 0.10% during the quarter, while beef prices surged more than 17.2%.

\\"The prices we paid for cattle were at an all-time high,\\" King said, adding that cutout prices — the estimated value of the carcass based on wholesale cuts like rib, chuck, round, loin, brisket, and flank — were \\"very high.\\"

In November, the company announced the closure of a beef facility in Lexington, Neb., and said it plans to lower production at its beef plant in Amarillo, Texas.

King said the closures will be reflected in the second quarter results and are in an effort to \\"rightsize\\" its footprint and reflect what \\"cattle availability would be in the future.\\"

Cattle supply is down 1% compared to last year, per the USDA, and King expects supply to remain \\"tight\\" throughout 2026 and 2027.

For 2026, the company expects sales to increase 2% to 4% year over year, alongside adjusted operating income between $2.1 billion and $2.3 billion.

Tyson's expects an operating loss for beef of between $250 million and $500 million, excluding the facility closure. Operating income for chicken is expected to be positive, between $1.65 billion and $1.9 billion.

Disney (DIS) beat revenue and earnings estimates for the fourth quarter on Monday. The company said its theme parks and the movie \\"Zootopia 2\\" helped boost its latest results. Disney shares rose 3% before the bell today.

Reuters reports:

The media and entertainment giant is expected to name a new chief executive to replace Bob Iger early this year. Hollywood executives believe Josh D'Amaro, the chairman of the experiences division, is the front-runner.

The experiences unit, which includes Disney's parks, cruises and consumer products, carried the December quarter, generating $10 billion in revenue and ‌72% of the company's quarterly operating profit of nearly $5 billion.

Walt Disney World, in particular, benefited from ​favorable comparisons to a year earlier, when Hurricane Milton had forced Orlando-based attractions to close.

Read more here.

Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi reports:

Add another prominent financial figure speaking out against interest rate caps on credit cards.

\\"A 10% credit card cap, what you would see is a reduction in credit cards across the United States,\\" American Express (AXP) CEO Stephen Squeri told Yahoo Finance by phone on Friday. \\"A lot of people would not be getting credit cards. You would see [credit] line reductions. And listen, the American economy runs on credit, and so you would see a small business slowdown. It's not the right answer.\\"

President Trump this month wrote on Truth Social that interest rates on credit cards should be limited to 10% for one year, starting Jan. 20. The date has come and gone, with no clear insight into the Trump administration's next move.

\\"It would be an economic disaster, and I'm not making that up because our business … we would survive it, by the way,\\" JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said at the World Economic Forum last week. Dimon added that the cap would be \\"drastic\\" and would cut credit access for 80% of Americans.

Read more here.

SoFi Technologies (SOFI) stock popped more than 5% on Friday after strong loan demand lifted the fintech lender's fourth quarter profits.

Reuters reports:

Fintech lenders have become popular among young customers, who favor faster, ‌app-based platforms over traditional banks that rely heavily on branches for most operations and have long-drawn processes.

SoFi's financial services business, which includes credit card and investing products, posted a 78% rise in revenue in the quarter ended December 31 ⁠to $456.7 million.

Total loan originations hit a record of $10.5 billion, up 46% from a year ​ago, driven by continued strong demand for personal, student and home loans.

CEO ‌Anthony Noto said credit performance was in line with expectations and overall financial health of its members across spending, investing and credit \\"remained strong.\\"

SoFi's fourth-quarter adjusted revenue jumped 37% to a record $1 ⁠billion from a year earlier, and its adjusted profit more than doubled to 13 cents ‌per share from 5 cents.

Read more here.

Verizon (VZ) stock rose on Friday morning after the wireless carrier raised its 2026 profit guidance and beat earnings expectations for the fourth quarter.

The company sees adjusted ⁠profit for 2026 between $4.90 and $4.95 per share compared with estimates of $4.76, according to data compiled by LSEG.

From Reuters:

Verizon forecast annual profit and free cash flow above market expectations on Friday, as aggressive promotions during the peak holiday ​period helped the U.S. carrier post its highest quarterly wireless subscriber ‌additions in six years.

In the fourth quarter, ‌telecom operators often rely on device promotions and bundled plans to poach customers looking to switch carriers amid peak phone-buying during Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Verizon's promos, such as four phone lines for $100 per month, resonated with users, ⁠helping it add 616,000 monthly ‌bill-paying wireless phone subscribers in the last three months of 2025. That trounced 417,250 additions expected, according to FactSet.

Verizon expects to add between 750,000 to 1 million retail postpaid phone subscribers this year, compared with 362,000 additions in ‍2025.

Read more here.

ExxonMobil (XOM) also reported an earnings beat on Friday as the oil giants contend with an oversupply of oil, driving crude prices down. The stock fell 1.7% in premarket trading

Adjusted earnings per share for the fourth quarter were $1.71, ahead of analyst expectations of $1.68. Revenue of $82.31 billion was also higher than the expected $81.43 billion

Exxon said it reached its highest full-year net production in more than 40 years at 4.7 million oil-equivalent barrels per day.

\\"ExxonMobil is a fundamentally stronger company than it was just a few years ago, and our 2025 results demonstrate that,\\" CEO Darren Woods said. \\"Our transformation is delivering a more resilient, lower-cost, technology-led business with structurally stronger earnings power, grounded in advantaged assets, disciplined capital allocation, and execution excellence.\\"

In 2026, Exxon plans to spend $27 billion to $29 billion in capital expenditures. It spent $29 billion in 2025 on capex.

Listen to the earnings call here at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Chevron (CVX) reported better-than-expected earnings on Friday as it focuses on cutting costs and faces lower oil prices.

Reuters reports:

The only U.S. oil producer currently operating in Venezuela and now in the ‌geopolitical spotlight after the U.S. capture and removal of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro this month, Chevron also said on Friday that it ‌was evaluating more opportunities in the country.

Chevron's adjusted earnings for the three-month period ended December 31 were $1.52 per share, ahead of an LSEG consensus estimate of $1.45 per share.

The figure was down from $2.06 a year before.

Chevron said that Venezuela holds significant long-term potential.

\\"We have been a part of Venezuela’s past for more than a century. We remain committed to its present. ⁠And we stand ready to help ‌it build a better future while strengthening U.S. energy and regional security,\\" CEO Mike Wirth said in a statement.

Read more here.

Deckers (DECK) stock soared 13% after the company raised its full-year financial outlook. Strong gains for Hoka sneakers and Ugg boots drove robust results in the company's fiscal third quarter.

For the full year, Deckers expects revenue between $5.40 billion and $5.42 billion, above the consensus estimate of $5.36 billion.

From Investing.com:

The company posted record third-quarter revenue of $1.96 billion, up 7.1% YoY and beating the analyst consensus of $1.87 billion. Adjusted earnings per share reached a record $3.33, increasing 11% from the previous year and substantially surpassing the $2.76 analyst estimate.

HOKA brand sales jumped 18.5% to $628.9 million, while UGG brand revenue grew 4.9% to $1.31 billion. The company’s international business showed particularly strong momentum with sales increasing 15% to $756.7 million, compared to domestic growth of 2.7%.

\\"Deckers produced record revenue and earnings per share in the third quarter, driven by the significant global demand for UGG and HOKA,\\" said Stefano Caroti, President and Chief Executive Officer. \\"Our strategic marketplace management fueled balanced growth in DTC and wholesale, inclusive of continued international momentum as well as healthy growth in the U.S. across both channels.\\"

Read more here.

Sandisk (SNDK) stock surged 12% in extended hours following its earnings release, adding to its massive 127% rally year to date. The memory chip maker was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2025.

The company crushed expectations in its fiscal second quarter, as AI companies have had an insatiable demand for memory and storage hardware. Sandisk said that revenue for its data center business segment jumped 64% over the previous quarter, driven by strong adoption among AI infrastructure builders, semi-custom customers, and technology companies deploying AI at scale.

Here's what Sandisk reported for its fiscal second quarter, compared to estimates compiled by Bloomberg:

Adjusted earnings: $6.20 per share, versus $3.44 estimated

Revenue: $3.03 billion, versus $2.67 billion estimated

Sandisk also raised its revenue guidance for the third quarter to a range of $4.4 billion to $4.8 billion. The Street was expecting revenue of $2.6 billion.

“This quarter's performance underscores our agility in capitalizing on better product mix, accelerating enterprise SSD deployments, and strengthening market demand dynamics, all at a time when the critical role that our products play in powering AI and the world's technology is being recognized,” said Sandisk CEO David Goeckeler.

Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley reports:

Apple (AAPL) reported its first quarter earnings on Thursday, beating Wall Street's expectations on the top and bottom lines, on strong iPhone sales.

Apple's iPhone revenue topped out at an all-time record of $85.3 billion in the quarter, well ahead of the $78.3 billion analysts were anticipating. The company recorded iPhone sales of $69.1 billion in the same quarter last year.

Apple stock was up a little more than 1% on the news.

Overall, Apple reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.84 on revenue of $143.8 billion. The Street was anticipating EPS of $2.68 on revenue of $138.4 billion, according to Bloomberg analyst consensus estimates.

Apple's Services business, its second-largest behind the iPhone, brought in $30 billion, in line with expectations. Analysts were calling for $30 billion. Mac and iPad revenue were $8.4 billion and $8.6 billion, respectively, while Wearables revenue hit $11.5 billion.

Read more here.

Visa (V) reported better-than-expected earnings in its fiscal first quarter due to strong payments volume during the holiday season. However, the stock dropped in after-hours trading.

CEO Ryan McInerney said profit growth benefited from a \\"resilient consumer spending and a strong holiday season.\\"

Revenue for the quarter ending Dec. 31 rose 15% year over year to $10.9 billion, topping analysts' estimates of $10.6 billion, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Adjusted earnings per share of $3.17 also came in above estimates for profits of $3.14 per share.

Total transactions increased 9% year over year to 69.4 billion during the fiscal first quarter.

Visa's results come after rival Mastercard (MA) also reported strong spending and an earnings beat.

\\"The macroeconomic environment remains supportive with balanced job markets across the globe, underpinning healthy consumer and business spending,\\" Mastercard CFO Sachin Mehra said on the company's earnings call, adding, \\"That said, there continues to be ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.\\"

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