Get ready. The earnings season is picking up steam. More than two dozen S & P 500 companies are set to report this week. Among them are Netflix, Intel and United Airlines. The fourth-quarter reporting period got off to an uneven start last week. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase all topped analyst expectations. But only Goldman posted a weekly gain. Regardless, FactSet senior earnings analyst John Butters thinks Wall Street is still headed for a strong earnings season. Fourth-quarter earnings are likely to grow by at least 14% from the same period a year ago, he said in a note Friday. All times ET. Tuesday Netflix is set to report earnings following the market close, with a call set for 4:45 p.m. Last quarter: NFLX shares dropped after the company’s bottom line missed expectations . This quarter: Analysts polled by LSEG expect the streamer’s earnings grew by nearly 30% year over year. What to watch: Wall Street will keep an eye for updates on the company’s negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery on the purchase of its streaming and film assets. What history shows: Data from Bespoke Investment Group shows Netflix beats earnings expectations 81% of the time. United Airlines is set to report earnings postmarket. A conference call with management and analysts is slated for the following day at 10 a.m. Last quarter: UAL earnings beat expectations, as did the company’s bottom-line guidance . This quarter: LSEG data shows analysts on average expect a roughly 10% decline in earnings from a year ago. What to watch: UBS expects the airline’s earnings to beat expectations, noting last week: “The government shutdown for a portion of 4Q drove [a] shortfall at DAL. However, our estimate for UAL implies that its EPS is only -7.5% below the mid-point of its initial range as UAL typically leaves some cushion in its outlooks for unexpected events.” What history shows: United Airlines earnings have exceeded expectations every quarter since late 2022, Bespoke data shows. Wednesday Johnson & Johnson is set to report earnings before the open. A call with management is set for 8:30 a.m. Last quarter: JNJ said it would spin off its orthopedics business, adding it expected sales to grow more than 5% in 2026 . This quarter: The pharmaceutical giant’s earnings are expected to have grown by around 10%, LSEG data shows. What to watch: “On the earnings call, we will be looking for color on: 1) management’s confidence in the LT growth outlook; 2) immunology market dynamics, where JNJ has secured a growing new foothold; 3) multiple myeloma dynamics, following recent practice changing data from TecDar (Tecvayli + Darzalex combination) that underscores the company’s strengthening leadership in this space); 4) color on 2026 new launches … ; 5) MedTech segment considerations (…which we note have been less important for recent stock performance …) and the status of the recent repositioning of the MedTech segment toward higher growth categories; 6) [Business Development] appetite (with JNJ having the industry’s highest balance sheet capacity), and 7) any Talc litigation commentary,” Goldman Sachs wrote to clients last week. The investment bank has a buy rating on J & J. What history shows: J & J has beaten earnings expectations 96% of the time, according to Bespoke. But the stock averages just a 0.3% advance the next trading day. Thursday Intel is set to report earnings after the closing bell, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. Last quarter: In its first report since the U.S. government took a stake in the company, INTC posted better-than-expected sales. This quarter: The chipmaker is expected to report that year-over-year earnings fell by more than 35%, according to LSEG. What to watch: Jefferies raised its price target on Intel to $45 last week, but the investment bank isn’t enthused heading into this earnings report. “All together, we expect commentary on the full year to be relatively disappointing as tightness in capacity prevents fully monetizing GP Servers, while PCs are weak and margins remain pressured throughout the balance of the year,” Jefferies, which rates Intel a hold, wrote. What history shows: Intel has fallen on three of the past four earnings days, including an 8.5% drop after the second-quarter 2025 report came out. Freeport-McMoRan is set to report earnings before the open. A call with management follows at 10 a.m. Last quarter: FCX earnings beat expectations as capital expenditures came in below estimates. This quarter: The copper miner is expected to post slight declines in earnings and revenue, according to LSEG. What to watch: Strength in metals has driven up the stock about 40% over the past three months. Wall Street will look to this earnings report for signs that momentum can continue. What history shows: Freeport-McMoRan has topped earnings estimates in eight of the past nine quarters. Capital One is set to report earnings after the stock market closes. A call with management is slated for 5 p.m. Last quarter: COF reported better-than-expected revenue and earnings, sending the stock up more than 1%. This quarter: The credit card issuer’s earnings are expected to have grown by more than 30%, LSEG shows. What to watch: Capital One took a beating recently after President Donald Trump floated the idea of a 10% credit card interest rate cap for one year. Investors will look for clues on how the bank plans to navigate that White House proposal. What history shows: Data from Bespoke shows Capital One beats earnings estimates 90% of the time.
Earnings playbook: Netflix and this chipmaker are among the companies set to report
