EARNINGS & CATALYSTS · October 26, 2026
October 26, 2026 earnings preview: AI design demand, property income and insurance margins
Welltower, Cadence, Nucor and five financial and property companies are due to report after close. Watch outlooks, underlying growth and cash generation rather than headline profit alone.
| Company | Report date | Window | EPS estimate | Revenue estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welltower Inc. (WELL) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 0.64 | 3.64B |
| Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 2.05 | 1.61B |
| Nucor Corporation (NUE) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 5.84 | 10.84B |
| Public Storage (PSA) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 2.49 | 1.34B |
| The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (HIG) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 3.17 | 7.37B |
| Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CINF) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 2.05 | 2.64B |
| Principal Financial Group, Inc. (PFG) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 2.43 | 4.27B |
| Brown & Brown, Inc. (BRO) | October 26, 2026Expected · subject to change | After close | 1.09 | 1.76B |
1) When the reports are due
Welltower, Nucor, Public Storage, Hartford, Cincinnati Financial, Principal and Brown & Brown have announced third-quarter results for October 26 after close. Cadence has confirmed its October 26 financial-results webcast after close; its release is expected in that window. Several management calls follow on October 27, so the initial release and the fuller explanation can arrive on different days.
2) Welltower: can occupancy gains keep improving margins?
Welltower owns healthcare real estate, including senior housing. In its July 27 second-quarter report, comparable senior-housing revenue grew 9.2%, supported by more occupied rooms and higher revenue per occupied room. Tonight’s test is whether that demand continues to cover staffing and other operating costs. Investors should focus on property income and normalized funds from operations, an adjusted real-estate earnings measure, alongside cash needs for new investments.
3) Cadence: a higher growth bar meets AI spending
Cadence sells software and systems used to design chips and electronic products. Its July 27 results raised the full-year revenue-growth outlook to 19%, with an adjusted operating-margin midpoint of 44.25%. Strong customer orders support future revenue, but investors need to see how quickly those orders turn into sales and cash. Watch guidance, spending and margins together; a higher sales forecast is less valuable if costs rise faster.
4) Nucor: look through temporary benefits
Nucor makes steel and steel products. On September 17 it guided to third-quarter GAAP profit of $5.55–$5.65 per share for the quarter ending October 3. EPS means profit per share; this is company guidance, not an analyst estimate or reported result. The prior quarter benefited from $130 million of raw-material cost refunds that management did not expect to repeat. Watch steel selling prices, shipments and underlying production margins to judge the strength of demand.
5) Public Storage: rental growth must beat cost growth
Public Storage rents self-storage space. In its July 29 results it raised its full-year Core funds-from-operations guidance to $16.75–$17.05 per share, while still projecting a decline in comparable-property operating income. Core funds from operations is an adjusted real-estate earnings measure, not GAAP profit. Watch occupancy, new-customer rents and property expenses: higher company-wide earnings can coexist with pressure at existing locations.
6) Hartford and Cincinnati: claims discipline matters more than portfolio gains
Hartford sells property, casualty and employee-benefit insurance; Cincinnati Financial combines insurance underwriting with a substantial investment portfolio. Their reports should show whether premium increases are covering claims inflation and catastrophe losses. Cincinnati’s second-quarter combined ratio was 100.8%, indicating claims and underwriting expenses exceeded the premiums earned. The ratio is a useful way to separate the economics of writing policies from swings in investment values.
7) A recent insurance peer sets a useful comparison
Travelers reported third-quarter results on October 16, including a combined ratio of 86.8%. A ratio below 100% indicates an underwriting profit before investment income. Its result benefited from favorable revisions to earlier claims estimates, so investors should also examine performance excluding those revisions and catastrophe losses. Travelers offers current sector context for Hartford and Cincinnati, but different policy mixes and storm exposure can produce very different results.
8) Brown & Brown: acquisition growth needs an underlying check
Brown & Brown earns insurance-brokerage commissions and fees. Its July 27 second-quarter report showed revenue up 30.4%, but organic revenue, which strips out acquisitions and other adjustments, down 0.7%. Tonight, watch client retention, underlying revenue and the costs of integrating acquisitions. Large reported growth is more valuable when the existing business is improving and extra debt and integration spending are manageable.
9) Principal: distinguish market gains from new customer money
Principal runs retirement, asset-management and insurance businesses. Its July 27 report showed $808 billion in assets under management. That asset total affects fee income, but can rise simply because markets rise. Watch net customer flows, retirement contributions and operating margins to see whether the business is attracting new money. Market weakness, withdrawals and insurance claims remain important risks.
10) How to read the releases
Start with changes to management’s outlook, then check whether operating performance and cash support them. Compare GAAP profit with clearly labeled adjusted measures; acquisition effects, investment gains and temporary refunds can make a headline look stronger than the underlying business. These are previews of upcoming reports, not released third-quarter results or predictions of the next stock move. The app’s earnings tools offer another way to explore the companies without assuming a favorable outcome.