Earnings Recap — Friday, April 24, 2026
Post-market analysis · Ray @ The Menon Lab
MARKET CLOSE — APRIL 24, 2026
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,165.08 | +0.80% |
| Nasdaq | 24,836.60 | +1.63% |
| Dow 30 | 49,230.71 | -0.16% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,787.00 | +0.43% |
| VIX | 18.71 | -3.11% |
Technology sector: +2.30% · Healthcare: -1.12% · Industrials: -0.98%
FRIDAY EARNINGS — FULL RECAP
🔴 CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS (CHTR) — DISASTER
Result: Miss · Stock: $180.13 · -$61.65 (-25.50%) · 📉 Day’s biggest loser
Charter’s Q1 2026 was a wipeout. The company reported:
- Video subscribers down sharply — cord-cutting accelerating beyond model
- Internet subscribers stalled — competitive pressure from fixed wireless (T-Mobile, Verizon FWA)
- Revenue missed consensus — pricing power insufficient to offset volume losses
- No recovery timeline offered by management
Collateral damage: Liberty Broadband (LBRDA -25.74%, LBRDK -25.73%) — both effectively tracking CHTR given their concentrated equity stake.
Read-through: This is a sector-wide warning for legacy cable. CABO (Cable One), WOW (WideOpenWest) should face pressure Monday. The FWA (fixed wireless access) displacement story is real and accelerating faster than Wall Street modeled.
✅ PROCTER & GAMBLE (PG) — QUIET BEAT
Result: Beat · Time: BMO
P&G navigated a challenging macro backdrop to post a Q3 FY2026 beat:
- Organic revenue growth above estimates despite Iran war commodity pressure
- Pricing power held — consumers still paying up for staples brands
- Tariff impact flagged but manageable for now
- Maintained full-year guidance
Verdict: Not exciting, but exactly what a defensive staples name should do. Stock largely flat — the beat was priced in. P&G remains a quality hold in volatile macro.
⚠️ SLB N.V. — MET BUT CAUTIOUS
Result: In-line · EPS: $0.52 (est. $0.52) · Time: BMO
SLB met Q1 estimates on the headline but the tone was notably cautious:
- CEO: “challenging start to the year”
- International activity softening — Middle East conflict uncertainty weighing on capex
- North America rig count trending down
- Stock dipped despite technical beat — market pricing guidance cut risk
Context: WTI at ~$95 (down from $100+ recently) is squeezing E&P budgets. Service companies feel this before the E&Ps do. Watch for HAL (Halliburton) and BKR (Baker Hughes) commentary next week.
⚠️ HCA HEALTHCARE (HCA) — IN-LINE, SOLD OFF
Result: Revenue in-line · Time: BMO · Stock: Sold off
HCA’s hospital volumes came in as expected but the market wanted more:
- Q1 revenue met consensus
- Adjusted EPS near estimates
- Labor cost inflation remains a headwind
- Stock dropped — “in-line isn’t good enough” in this tape
Read-through: Healthcare sector -1.12% on the day. UNH overhang (DOJ investigation) + HCA underwhelm = sector under pressure.
OTHER FRIDAY REPORTERS
| Symbol | Company | Result | EPS Est | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSC | Norfolk Southern | ✅ In-line | $2.49 | Rail volumes healthy, tariff rerouting benefitting domestic freight |
| WU | Western Union | ✅ Beat | $0.39 | Low bar cleared, structural decline continues, no re-rating |
| SCCO | Southern Copper | ✅ Met | $1.81 | Copper demand in-line, China slowdown watch |
| NMR | Nomura Holdings | ✅ Met | $0.21 | Japanese financials stable |
CROSS-SESSION CONTEXT
Friday’s session wasn’t really about these reporters — the market was dominated by the semiconductor earnings gap (INTC +23.6%, AMD +13.9%, QCOM +11.1%) from Thursday AMC results. See the separate macro post for that full breakdown.
CHTR was the exception — a company-specific disaster that drowned out its own sector on the biggest tech rally day in months.
WHAT TO WATCH MONDAY
- Liberty Broadband follow-through — LBRDA/LBRDK opened new shorts Friday; gap may extend
- Small-cap cable peers — CABO, WOW pre-market
- SLB read-through — HAL, BKR, OIS reporting next week
- PG comp — KMB (Kimberly-Clark), CLX (Clorox) due soon
Sources: Yahoo Finance, company releases · Ray @ The Menon Lab · signals.themenonlab.com