Earnings playbook: Tesla and Boeing lead a big week of reports
The earnings season intensifies this week, with one “Magnificent Seven” member and an aerospace giant set to report. Tesla and Boeing are among the 88 S & P 500 companies scheduled to post results. Others on deck include United Airlines and chipmaker Intel. So far, the reporting period has been strong. Per FactSet, of the roughly 50 companies that have released their quarterly numbers, about 86% have posted better-than-expected earnings. All times ET. Tuesday UnitedHealth is set to report earnings in the premarket, with a call scheduled for 8 a.m. Last quarter: UNH posted a modest earnings beat as well as soft revenue guidance . This quarter: The health insurance giant is expected to report an earnings slide of more than 5%, LSEG data shows. What to watch: Morgan Stanley analyst Erin Wright named UNH a top pick ahead of the report. “This is not necessarily a call on the quarter, but a call on what should be a string of clean quarters that should drive incremental enthusiasm for UNH shares on the heels of a more favorable Final [Medicare Advantage] Rate. We see potential for meaningful upside to ’27 Street estimates,” Wright wrote on Friday. What history shows: UNH beats earnings expectations 90% of the time, according to Bespoke Investment Group. United Airlines is set to report earnings after the closing bell. Management will hold a call at 10:30 a.m. the following day. Last quarter: UAL posted an earnings beat and said its bottom line could hit record levels in 2026 . This quarter: The airplane’s bottom line is set to have grown around 20% from the year-earlier period, LSEG data shows. What to watch: The results come after CEO Scott Kirby floated a potential merger with American Airlines . On Friday, American said it was not interested in joining forces with United . Will United signal interest in another deal? Rising fuel costs are also top of mind. What history shows: United earnings have topped expectations in every quarter since Q3 2022, per Bespoke. Wednesday Boeing is set to report earnings before the open, followed by a call at 10:30 a.m. Last quarter: BA said sales jumped 57% year on year. This quarter: The airplane maker is forecast to report revenue growth of more than 10%, according to LSEG. What to watch: RBC analysts raised their Q1 deliveries forecast ahead of the report. “Our increase in deliveries to 665 for 2026 reflects only stronger 1Q26 results (143 deliveries vs. our estimate of 140), as we have otherwise maintained our outlook for the rest of 2026,” they said in a note. What history shows: Boeing shares fell after the last three releases came out. Tesla is set to report earnings after the bell. The Elon Musk -led automaker will then hold a conference call at 5:30 p.m. Last quarter: TSLA earnings topped estimates, but its annual revenue fell for the first time . This quarter: The automaker is expected to post year-on-year earnings growth of around 40%, per LSEG. What to watch: Barclays analyst Dan Levy said capital expenditures will be key for Tesla. “The primary question we see into the print is whether Tesla will increase its capex guide. Recall, Tesla’s 4Q guide for 2026 capex of over $20bn did not include potential spend for Tesla’s Terafab or Solar fab, both of which would likely come with significant incremental capex. Instead, the elevated $20bn+ capex would support Tesla’s infrastructure build out,” wrote Levy, who has an equal weight rating on Tesla. What history shows: The stock fell after two of the last three reports came out, including an 8.2% slide on mixed Q2 2025 results Thursday Intel is set to report earnings after the close, with a conference call scheduled for 5 p.m. Last quarter: INTC plunged 13% on soft guidance. This quarter: The chipmaker’s bottom line is expected to have fallen more than 90% from the year-earlier period, per LSEG. What to watch: “We see a clear upside bias for results and guidance (at least in terms of revenue) as PC demand has proven to be resilient (though we continue to expect a sharper correction in 2H26) and server CPU demand has inflected materially higher with INTC having also raised prices ~10% (we think) with a continued upward bias through the rest of this year,” wrote UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri, who has a neutral rating on shares. What history shows: Earnings days have been rough for Intel. The stock has fallen in four of the last five reporting days, including a 17% plunge in January. Friday Procter & Gamble is set to report earnings before the open. A call with analysts and management is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Last quarter: PG earnings topped estimates, but sales were weighed down by shrinking demand . This quarter: Analysts polled by LSEG expect earnings and revenue remained flat year over year. What to watch: “Until P & G moves back into market share growth at an aggregate level, its sales will remain more exposed to the vagaries of retailer inventory management, category growth rates and/or competitive dynamics,” Barclays analyst Lauren Lieberman wrote. She has a neutral rating on the stock. What history shows: Procter earnings have beaten expectations for 12 straight quarters, per Bespoke.
