The third quarter earnings season is off to a strong start. Investors will be watching for a series of company reports this week to maintain this momentum. More than 80 S&P 500 companies are scheduled to report earnings this week. Among them are Netflix, General Motors, and Tesla. The results come after banking giants JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs reported strong quarterly results. According to FactSet, 84% of all S&P 500 stocks to date have exceeded earnings expectations. Watch as CNBC Pro breaks down what you can expect from some of this week’s most important reports. Always Eastern Time. General Motors is scheduled to report earnings Tuesday before the market opening bell. A conference call with management is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Last quarter: GM reported $1.1 billion in tariff damage. This quarter: Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect earnings to decline more than 20% year over year. What to watch: Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu thinks GM has the potential to outperform. However, on a quarterly basis, “while pricing should remain consistent, results are likely to be adversely affected by the impact of modest volume declines and higher net charges.” Yu rates General Motors at Hold. What history shows: GM beats earnings estimates by 88%, according to data from Bespoke Investment Group. However, the stock price has declined over the past three earnings days, two of which were down more than 8%. Netflix is scheduled to report earnings after the market close, followed by a conference call at 4:45 p.m. Last quarter: NFLX beat expectations with 16% revenue growth. This quarter: Analysts expect profits to rise nearly 30% year-over-year, according to FactSet numbers. What to watch: Laurent Yun, who rates Bernstein stock an outperform, said in a note last week that “K-Pop Demon Hunters” will be key to Netflix’s strong performance. “Netflix’s global engagement increased modestly quarter-over-quarter, reversing the drop in Q2 due to last quarter’s content slump. A major driver of the recovery was driven by K-Pop Demon Hunter, which added approximately 500 million hours of viewing time and is expected to add another approximately 400 million hours in Q4 2025,” he said. History shows us: Netflix has risen on three of the past four earnings days, Bespoke said. The company has also exceeded profit estimates for six consecutive quarters. On Wednesday, Tesla is scheduled to release earnings after the close of trading, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Last quarter: TSLA sales were lower than expected due to further decline in auto revenue. This quarter: The automaker is expected to record a year-over-year profit decline of more than 20%, according to FactSet. What to watch: Wells Fargo’s Colin Langan expects to beat Tesla’s profits. But since then, he expects the EV maker to fall significantly, noting that there is “too much ‘hype’ built into” the stock. “Full autonomous driving is currently under new scrutiny from NHTSA, impacting TSLA’s credibility for AVs. Given the importance of touch and agility, it could be +10 years before robots are truly commercialized,” he said. History shows us: Bespoke says Tesla’s earnings have been volatile, with less than a 60% chance of beating expectations. Ford Motor Co. is scheduled to report earnings Thursday after the closing bell. A conference call with management and analysts is scheduled for 5 p.m.Last quarter: Company F has reinstated its full-year outlook, which includes a $2 billion tariff burden. This quarter: Analysts expect automakers’ profits to fall more than 25% from a year ago, according to FactSet data. What to watch: “The focus is on Novelis-related aluminum supply disruptions, particularly Ford’s exposure to the F-Series. Our updated forecast does not account for any material production disruptions and remains at the high end of Ford’s 2025 adjusted EBIT guidance range ($7.4 billion vs. $6.5-7.5 billion),” wrote TD Cowen analyst Itai Michaeli. History shows us: Bespoke data shows Ford has exceeded revenue estimates for four straight quarters. Intel is expected to release its financial results after the market closes. Management will hold a conference call with analysts at 5 p.m. Last quarter: INTC outperformed revenue and reduced foundry investment. This quarter: Analysts expect the chipmaker to return to profitability, according to FactSet. What to watch: Intel is on a tear heading into this week’s report, having soared more than 62% in the past three months following the announcement that the U.S. government has acquired a 10% stake in the company. Nvidia invested $5 billion in Intel. Investors will be looking for clues as to how Intel can leverage these two aids. History shows us this: Intel stock has fallen after the last three earnings releases, including an 8% drop after the second-quarter release. (Learn the best strategies for 2026 from inside the NYSE with Josh Brown and others on CNBC PRO Live. Tickets and information here.)
