{"id":72929,"date":"2026-10-13T06:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/earnings-season-hits-high-gear-unitedhealth-jj-and-wells-fargo-report-q3-results\/72929\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T06:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:38:12","slug":"earnings-season-hits-high-gear-unitedhealth-jj-and-wells-fargo-report-q3-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/earnings-season-hits-high-gear-unitedhealth-jj-and-wells-fargo-report-q3-results\/72929\/","title":{"rendered":"Earnings Season Hits High Gear: UnitedHealth, J&#038;J, and Wells Fargo Report Q3 Results"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>UnitedHealth (<a href=\"\/stock\/UNH\">UNH<\/a>)<\/strong> delivered a significant beat-and-raise quarter, reporting <strong>Adjusted EPS of $4.69<\/strong> (vs. $4.12 estimate) and raising its full-year guidance to <strong>at least $20.50 per share<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Johnson &amp; Johnson (<a href=\"\/stock\/JNJ\">JNJ<\/a>)<\/strong> surpassed earnings expectations and raised its 2026 outlook, while the CFO signaled a preference for an <strong>Orthopaedic unit spinoff<\/strong> over a direct sale.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wells Fargo (<a href=\"\/stock\/WFC\">WFC<\/a>)<\/strong> posted a mixed third quarter, beating on <strong>EPS ($1.87)<\/strong> but missing on <strong>Revenue ($21.87B)<\/strong> and <strong>Net Interest Income ($12.52B)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Domino\u2019s Pizza (<a href=\"\/stock\/DPZ\">DPZ<\/a>)<\/strong> reported stronger-than-expected net income of <strong>$152.2 million<\/strong>, though U.S. same-store sales growth remained muted at <strong>0.3%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Small Business Optimism<\/strong> in the U.S. dipped slightly in September to <strong>97.9<\/strong>, missing economist estimates of 98.2 as business owners remain cautious.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Healthcare Giants Lead the Way<\/h2>\n<p>UnitedHealth (<a href=\"\/stock\/UNH\">UNH<\/a>) kicked off a major morning for healthcare earnings with a robust performance. The company reported <strong>revenue of $112.69 billion<\/strong>, exceeding the $111.03 billion forecast, driven by strong growth in its <strong>Optum<\/strong> and <strong>UnitedHealthcare<\/strong> segments. Most notably, the company significantly raised its <strong>2026 Adjusted EPS guidance<\/strong> to at least $20.50, up from the previous range of $19.50 to $20.00.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson &amp; Johnson (<a href=\"\/stock\/JNJ\">JNJ<\/a>) also reported a strong third quarter, with <strong>Adjusted EPS of $2.59<\/strong> beating the $2.52 estimate. While <strong>MedTech sales<\/strong> of $8.64 billion came in slightly under expectations, the company\u2019s <strong>Medicine revenue<\/strong> reached $16.76 billion, bolstered by strong performance in drugs like Tremfya. The company now expects <strong>full-year sales<\/strong> to reach as high as <strong>$101.4 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Mixed Results for Banking and Consumer Staples<\/h2>\n<p>Wells Fargo (<a href=\"\/stock\/WFC\">WFC<\/a>) provided a more complex picture for the banking sector. While the bank&#39;s <strong>EPS of $1.87<\/strong> beat the $1.85 estimate, it struggled with <strong>Net Interest Income (NII)<\/strong>, which fell to <strong>$12.52 billion<\/strong> against an expected $12.59 billion. <em>The miss in NII suggests ongoing pressure from higher funding costs, even as the bank&#39;s credit quality remained resilient with lower-than-expected provisions for credit losses.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the consumer sector, Domino\u2019s Pizza (<a href=\"\/stock\/DPZ\">DPZ<\/a>) reported <strong>Q3 revenue of $1.185 billion<\/strong>, slightly ahead of the $1.176 billion estimate. Despite the revenue beat and a healthy <strong>EPS of $4.60<\/strong>, the company\u2019s <strong>U.S. same-store sales growth of 0.3%<\/strong> indicates a potential slowdown in domestic consumer spending.<\/p>\n<h2>Economic Sentiment and Analyst Moves<\/h2>\n<p>The broader economic environment showed signs of cooling as the <strong>NFIB Small Business Optimism Index<\/strong> fell to <strong>97.9<\/strong> in September. This figure was lower than both the previous month&#39;s 98.7 and the consensus estimate of 98.2. <em>The decline reflects persistent concerns among small business owners regarding inflation and future economic conditions.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In individual stock moves, <strong>Adobe (<a href=\"\/stock\/ADBE\">ADBE<\/a>)<\/strong> faced downward pressure after <strong>HSBC cut the stock to &quot;Hold&quot;<\/strong> with a price target of <strong>$267<\/strong>. Meanwhile, on the geopolitical front, <strong>Ukraine&#39;s Foreign Minister Sybiha<\/strong> confirmed that the country continues to maintain close intelligence-sharing cooperation with the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways UnitedHealth (UNH) delivered a significant beat-and-raise quarter, reporting Adjusted EPS of $4.69 (vs. $4.12 estimate) and raising its 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