Now that 75% of the S&P 500 companies have reported first-quarter results, it's clear where the strength is.
Five stocks in the S&P 500 — including Carnival, Travelers and GE Vernova — topped quarterly profit forecasts by 100% or more, says an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSurge.
All are standouts in what's been a solid quarter for profit. So far, S&P 500 profit is coming in 12.8% higher than the first quarter of last year, says John Butters of FactSet. That marks the second straight quarter of double-digit growth.
But if there's a weak spot, it's the degree to which companies are topping profit estimates. The S&P 500 companies to report so far topped views by 8.6%. That's slightly below the 8.8% average.
Some companies are having no trouble beating by much more than that, though.
High-Water Mark For Carnival
Cruise operator Carnival reported a first-quarter profit of 13 cents a share, beating estimates by 550%. That's more than any other S&P 500 firm.
The company is seeing strong bookings as travel has boomed since the pandemic. The stock still has rebuilding to do. Its RS Rating is just 66, but profit is seen rising 31% this year.
Another big, positive surprise has been insurer Travelers. The company's first-quarter profit of $1.91 a share topped views by 148%. An unstable political world has stoked demand for insurance. And that demand has been going on for a while now. The stock's RS Rating is 89. Analysts think EPS will fall 13% this year, but rise 31% in 2026.
Profit surprises might be smaller than usual, but you can still find them.
Biggest EPS Beats
| Company | Ticker | Sector | Q1 EPS beat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival | CCL | Consumer Discretionary | 550% |
| Travelers | TRV | Financials | 148.0% |
| GE Vernova | GEV | Industrials | 129.7% |
| Valero Energy | VLO | Energy | 117.0% |
| Estee Lauder | EL | Consumer Staples | 109.6% |
