With all the talk of wild card "X" factors such as President Donald Trump's tariffs or instability in the Middle East, unsettling the stock market, you would logically expect the quarterly earnings season to be full of bad news. It is impossible to deny that the last quarter was a roller coaster ride for investors. However, it may surprise you to learn that over 75% of the S&P 500 exceeded their earnings expectations in their most recent quarterly report.
According to public filing data compiled by FactSet, 374 out of the 481 companies that released reports exceeded their per-share earnings expectations. By contrast, only 19 companies reported EPS "in line" with expectations, while 88 fell short. The revenue picture was a bit more evenly weighted but still offered solid wins for investors. Some 305 companies beat revenue expectations, while 175 fell short of the mark.
