Earnings season is the heartbeat of the market, and every day brings fresh signals about where money is flowing.
With each report, we learn not just how companies are performing, but how investors are reacting.
In the Daily Beat, we spotlight the most important S&P 500 earnings moves from the prior session: the winners, the losers, and the reactions that reveal what really matters to the market right now.
Whether it’s a bellwether with broad economic implications or a niche name making waves, we cut through the noise to focus on the setups that matter most.
Here are the latest earnings stats from the S&P 500 👇
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At the top of Wednesday's Beat Sheet was the $69B apparel retail stock, Ross Stores $ROST. Following a big double beat, shareholders were rewarded with a +4.14 reaction score.
ROST reported $6.64B in revenue, beating the expected $6.41B, and earnings per share of $2.00, beating the expected $1.90.
The positive reaction to the CrowdStrike $CRWD earnings results also stood out to us.
At the bottom of Wednesday's list was the $12B alcoholic beverages stock, Brown-Forman $BF.B. After posting a double beat, shareholders received a -3.99 reaction score.
BF.B's revenues came in at $1.06B, beating the expected $1.00B, and earnings per share of $0.58, beating the expected $0.47.
Let's talk about what else happened 👇
ROST had its 3rd consecutive positive earnings reaction🔥
Ross Stores had a +8% post-earnings reaction, and here's what happened:
Comparable store sales grew 9% year-over-year, driven primarily by an increase in customer transactions, the highest quality type of comp growth.
Operating margin expanded 95 basis points year-over-year, driven by lower cost of goods sold, occupancy leverage, and lower distribution and freight costs.
In addition to the strong quarter, the management team issued strong guidance on sales and operating margins.
This was one of the best retail earnings reports we've seen all earnings season, and it's no surprise the stock is ripping to new all-time highs because of it.
We especially love how the company's growth is broad-based across all merchandise categories and regions of the country.
They are truly firing on all cylinders.
And most importantly, the earnings sentiment has been consistently positive over the past year.
Based on the strong technical and fundamental primary uptrends, we expect ROST to continue printing new all-time highs.
BF.B had its 4th consecutive negative earnings reaction🩸
Brown-Forman had a -6.7% post-earnings reaction, and here's what happened:
While emerging market sales increased 16% year-over-year, sales in the U.S. declined by 8%. This is troublesome as the U.S. is the company's largest segment.
Due to the top-line weakness, EPS declined 8% year-over-year.
Making a bad quarter worse, the management team explicitly warned of 100-150 basis points of gross margin compression this fiscal year. This is primarily due to higher barrel costs and an unfavorable product mix.
Since peaking in 2020, this stock has cratered nearly 70%, reaching its lowest level since 2013.
It has been a complete disaster...
As expected, earnings sentiment has been consistently negative, confirming the technical downtrend.
And while the downside momentum has decelerated, a significant change in earnings sentiment is likely needed before any sustainable bounce can take place.
Until proven otherwise, the path of least resistance for BF.B is decisively lower for the foreseeable future.
