InsiderFlow › Glossary › What is an earnings report?

What is an earnings report?

The earnings report is the statement every listed company publishes each quarter: revenue, profits and outlook. It's the event that moves stocks the most.

Four times a year, listed US companies publish results and discuss them on a conference call with analysts. The stock reacts to the gap between results and expectations: beating both profit and revenue estimates (a "double beat") lifts the price, missing sinks it.

"Earnings season" packs thousands of reports into a few weeks, starting mid-January, April, July and October: the most volatile, information-rich periods of the year.

Concrete example

A stock can lose 15% in an hour after a disappointing report: for a long-term investor it's noise, for the market it's the story of the day.

How you see it in InsiderFlow

On InsiderFlow these concepts come alive on real data: what big funds and insiders are buying, explained every day.

Frequently asked questions

When do earnings come out?

A few weeks after each calendar quarter ends; every company's calendar is public.

Should you buy before earnings?

It's a binary bet: the outcome is unpredictable and volatility extreme. Many prefer waiting for the numbers.