**Earnings Insight: S&P 500 and Retail Sector Performance**
As of the latest reporting, 453 S&P 500 companies have shared their Q4 results, showing an overall earnings increase of 12.2% from the same period last year, driven by an 8.7% rise in revenues. Notably, 75.1% of these companies exceeded EPS estimates, and 73.1% surpassed revenue forecasts. Despite this growth, earnings performance is tracking below prior quarters and the 20-quarter average.
In the retail sector, Walmart reported a 4.6% increase in same-store sales, outperforming estimates of 4.24%, yet faced a decline in share prices post-release. Amazon experienced a revenue increase of 13.6%, while Home Depot’s same-store sales grew by 0.4%, surpassing a forecasted decline. Across the 22 retail companies that reported, total earnings rose 6.9%, with 50% beating EPS estimates and 77.3% exceeding revenue expectations. For the sector as a whole, total Q4 earnings are projected to rise by 5.6% compared to last year.
