EARNINGS & CATALYSTS · October 29, 2026
Earnings ahead: watch Amazon’s operating profit and Sandisk’s pricing power
Ahead of the October 29, 2026 evening earnings reports, watch the quality of Amazon’s profit, Sandisk’s pricing strength and Starbucks’ customer recovery. Intel, healthcare and waste-service results add tests of spending and costs.
| Company | Report date | Window | EPS estimate | Revenue estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 1.97 | 202.22B |
| Intel Corp. (INTC) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 0.41 | 16.54B |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 2.19 | 7.8B |
| Sandisk Corporation (SNDK) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 46.67 | 10.72B |
| Stryker Corporation (SYK) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 3.55 | 6.62B |
| Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 0.72 | 9.22B |
| Mondelez International, Inc. (MDLZ) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 0.71 | 9.98B |
| Republic Services, Inc. (RSG) | October 29, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 1.93 | 4.42B |
1) What reports are expected after close on October 29?
Amazon, Intel, Gilead, Stryker, Mondelez and Republic Services are scheduled to discuss their third-quarter 2026 results this evening. Sandisk’s report covers its first quarter of fiscal 2027; Starbucks reports its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2026. Issuer announcements confirm the evening reporting dates or calls. The investor decision goes beyond whether sales beat expectations: distinguish profit from the underlying business, investment gains, acquisition charges and changes in how revenue is reported.
2) Amazon: look past investment gains to cloud and retail profit
Amazon’s second-quarter net income included $53.4 billion of non-operating pretax income, mainly from its Anthropic investment. That helps explain why the next headline profit number needs a closer look. Operating income shows what its retail, advertising and cloud businesses earn before those investment effects. In that quarter, AWS sales grew 37%, while free cash flow over the preceding twelve months was negative $7.6 billion, largely because equipment spending rose. Free cash flow is operating cash left after capital spending. Watch AWS operating profit, the new spending plan and how quickly added capacity begins serving paying customers. Microsoft’s October 28 report showed Azure revenue growth of 48%. That provides fresh evidence of strong cloud demand, but Azure and AWS have different businesses and revenue bases. Amazon still needs to demonstrate its own growth and returns.
3) Intel: test the manufacturing recovery against the spending bill
Intel’s July outlook put third-quarter revenue at $15.8 billion to $16.8 billion, with diluted profit per share of $0.31 under standard accounting and $0.38 after company adjustments. These are management forecasts, not reported results or analyst estimates. Intel said better factory yields and production speed helped its second quarter, and that it was increasing equipment and manufacturing investment. Watch whether those improvements support gross margin—the share of sales left after production costs—and how much cash the expansion needs. The October 26 agreement to acquire quantum-software company Classiq adds a longer-term opportunity. The companies remain separate until closing, expected in the first half of 2027 and subject to approvals. That agreement does not establish current-quarter revenue from the combined business.
4) Sandisk: separate higher prices from higher shipment volumes
Sandisk’s previous quarter showed sequential revenue growth of 51%, with roughly one-third from volume and two-thirds from pricing. The distinction matters: price increases can lift profit quickly, but their durability depends on supply and customer demand. Its prior forecast for the quarter being reported was $10.3 billion to $10.8 billion in revenue. The analyst revenue expectation as of October 29 is about $10.72 billion, near the upper end. Watch the next sales and margin outlook, data-center demand and whether customers continue buying at higher prices. This report is for fiscal first-quarter 2027, not a calendar third-quarter comparison.
5) Gilead: separate medicine demand from acquisition effects
Gilead’s second-quarter HIV product sales grew 12%, and operating cash flow was $3.6 billion. Acquisition-related research charges also drove a large reported loss. For the next report, read medicine sales and cash generation alongside the explanation of those charges. The company sells treatments across HIV, liver disease and oncology. Watch whether its main medicines keep funding new products and acquired research, rather than judging the business only by a rebound in headline profit. Competition and the cost of developing treatments remain important risks.
6) Stryker: does the recovery keep reaching profit?
Stryker’s July report described recovery from a cyber incident and showed 9.0% organic sales growth, largely from more units sold. Organic growth removes currency and acquisition effects. Its adjusted operating margin reached 27.4%, up 1.7 percentage points. The device maker’s next results should show whether surgical equipment and implant demand continue translating into profit. Watch manufacturing and service execution as well as procedure demand; recovery costs or disruption could weaken the share of sales retained as earnings.
7) Starbucks: compare customer recovery with its own target
Starbucks’ previous outlook called for at least 6.5% U.S. comparable-store sales growth in fiscal fourth-quarter 2026. Comparable-store sales measure performance at established stores. Watch the split between customer visits and spending per visit, then whether those sales cover labor and other store costs. Its China retail operations moved to a licensed joint venture in the third quarter, changing consolidated revenue. Store performance therefore helps explain the recovery alongside the headline sales total. Chipotle’s October 28 report offers a recent restaurant comparison: comparable sales rose 2.1%, while restaurant-level operating margin fell to 23.3% from 24.5%. More sales can still leave less profit per dollar; Starbucks’ own costs and store model will determine its outcome.
8) Mondelez: can snack volumes strengthen earnings?
Mondelez’s second-quarter organic sales grew 2.2%, including a 0.7-percentage-point contribution from volume and product mix. Adjusted profit per share fell 2.7% at constant currency, which removes exchange-rate changes. The maker of snacks and chocolate needs both customer demand and cost control. Watch whether consumers buy more products, whether price increases hold and whether better sales reach operating profit. The new outlook will help judge whether improvements are broad enough to support earnings.
9) Republic Services: follow pricing through to cash
Republic Services earns recurring revenue from waste collection, disposal and environmental services. Watch whether price increases cover labor, fuel and other costs while retaining customers, and how that feeds its cash-flow outlook. WM’s October 27 report showed revenue growth of 6.3%. Its adjusted operating profit margin before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization slipped by 0.1 percentage point as fuel and risk-management costs outweighed some gains elsewhere. That is relevant cost context, rather than a forecast for Republic’s results.