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28.7.2026 09:38, FME, MBG

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Zdroj: Bloomberg

Marek Krejčiřík
Fio banka, a.s.
Prohlášení

Q2 2026 revenue and adjusted EPS* above the high end of our guidance ranges;
Raising 2026 annual outlook and expecting growth to accelerate in 2027

(All amounts in U.S. dollars)

TORONTO, July 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celestica Inc.1 (NYSE: CLS) (TSX: CLS), a global leader in data center infrastructure and advanced technology solutions, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026).

Q2 2026 Highlights

Revenue: $4.70 billion, increased 62% compared to $2.89 billion for the second quarter of 2025 (Q2 2025).GAAP earnings from operations as a % of revenue: 9.8%, compared to 9.4% for Q2 2025.Adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP)*: 8.2%, compared to 7.4% for Q2 2025.GAAP earnings per share2 (EPS): $3.17, compared to $1.82 for Q2 2025.Adjusted EPS2 (non-GAAP)*: $2.54, compared to $1.39 for Q2 2025.
“Celestica delivered very strong performance in the second quarter, achieving revenue of $4.70 billion and adjusted EPS (non-GAAP)* of $2.54, each exceeding the high end of our guidance ranges. Our adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP)* of 8.2% represents another new high for the company, demonstrating the strength of our execution,” said Rob Mionis, CEO.

“Driven by our strong first-half performance, strengthening second half customer forecasts, and improved component supply, we are pleased to once again raise our 2026 annual outlook. Our 2026 revenue outlook is now $20.5 billion, and our adjusted EPS (non-GAAP)* outlook is now $11.30, reflecting year-over-year growth of 65% and 87%, respectively.”

“Looking beyond 2026, our visibility continues to increase. Driven by very strong customer demand, and supported by new program wins, we expect revenue growth in 2027 to accelerate beyond the 65% growth rate we are anticipating in 2026. We also anticipate adjusted EPS (non-GAAP)* to grow at a faster rate than our revenue in 2027, driven by higher expected adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP)*.”

1 Celestica has two operating and reportable segments: Connectivity & Cloud Solutions (CCS) (consists of our Communications and Enterprise (servers and storage) end markets) and Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS) (comprised of our Aerospace and Defense, Industrial, HealthTech, and Capital Equipment businesses). Segment performance is evaluated based on segment revenue, segment income, and segment margin (segment income as a percentage of segment revenue). See note 3 to our June 30, 2026 unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements (Q2 2026 Interim Financial Statements) for further detail.
2 Per share information included in this press release is based on diluted shares outstanding unless otherwise noted.
* See Use of Non-GAAP Measures and Schedule 1 for, among other items, non-GAAP financial measures (and ratios) included in this press release, their definitions, uses, and a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP measures in this press release are denoted with an asterisk (*).

Third Quarter of 2026 (Q3 2026) Guidance

 Q3 2026 GuidanceRevenue (in billions)$5.25 to $5.55Adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP)*8.4% at the mid-point of our
revenue and adjusted
EPS (non-GAAP) guidance rangesAdjusted EPS (non-GAAP)*(1)$2.88 to $3.08   (1) Q3 2026 guidance excludes a negative $0.27 to $0.33 per share (pre-tax) aggregate impact on net earnings on a GAAP basis for employee stock-based compensation (SBC) expense, amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software), and restructuring charges. Q3 2026 guidance assumes an adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP)* of approximately 20% and no share repurchases or issuances in Q3 2026.

2026 Annual Outlook and Long-Term Demand Update

Revenue of $20.5 billion (previous outlook $19.0 billion) (1)Adjusted EPS (non-GAAP)* of $11.30 (previous outlook $10.15) (1)(2)Adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP)* of 8.4% (previous outlook 8.1%) (1) Free cash flow (non-GAAP)* of $600 million (previous outlook $500 million) (1) We now expect our revenue growth rate in 2027 to accelerate, relative to the 65% revenue growth rate anticipated in our latest 2026 Annual Outlook. We also anticipate adjusted EPS (non-GAAP)* to grow at a faster rate than our revenue in 2027.

(1) The increase of our 2026 annual outlook is driven by expected stronger customer demand for Q3 2026 and improvements in our demand visibility for the remainder of 2026.
(2) 2026 guidance assumes an adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP)* of approximately 20% and no share repurchases or issuances in the remainder of 2026.

* See Use of Non-GAAP Measures and Schedule 1. For our Q3 2026 Guidance and 2026 Annual Outlook and Long-Term Demand Update, we present certain forward-looking non-GAAP metrics. A reconciliation of such forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures on a forward-looking basis has not been provided because the items that we exclude from GAAP to calculate the comparable non-GAAP measure are dependent on future events that management is not able to reliably predict and are not part of our routine operating activities. We are unable to provide such a reconciliation without unreasonable effort due to the uncertainty and inherent difficulty in predicting the occurrence, the financial impact and the periods in which the adjustments may be recognized. The occurrence, timing and amount of any of the items excluded from GAAP to calculate non-GAAP could significantly impact our GAAP results.

Summary of Selected Q2 2026 Results

 Q2 2026 Actual Q2 2026 Guidance(2)Revenue (in billions)$4.70 $4.15 to $4.45GAAP earnings from operations as a % of revenue9.8% N/AGAAP EPS(1)$3.17 N/AAdjusted operating margin (non-GAAP)*8.2% 8.0% at the mid-point of our
revenue and adjusted
EPS (non-GAAP) guidance rangesAdjusted EPS (non-GAAP)*$2.54 $2.14 to $2.34     CCS segment revenue: $3.81 billion, increased 84% compared to Q2 2025; CCS segment margin: 8.7% compared to 8.3% for Q2 2025. Hardware Platform Solutions revenue of approximately $1.9 billion increased 58% compared to Q2 2025.

ATS segment revenue: $0.89 billion, increased 8% compared to Q2 2025; ATS segment margin: 6.3% compared to 5.3% for Q2 2025.

(1) GAAP EPS of $3.17 for Q2 2026 included an aggregate charge of $0.28 per share (pre-tax) for employee SBC expense, amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software), and restructuring charges (Q2 2025 — $0.33 per share (pre-tax)). See the tables in Schedule 1 and note 10 to the Q2 2026 Interim Financial Statements for per-item charges. This aggregate charge was within our previously communicated Q2 2026 anticipated range of between $0.24 to $0.30 per share (pre-tax) for these items.

GAAP EPS for Q2 2026 and the first half of 2026 also included a $0.90 and $0.75, respectively, per share (pre-tax) positive impact attributable to our total return swap agreement (Q2 2025 and the first half of 2025 — $0.84 and $0.67, respectively, per share (pre-tax) positive impact). See note 8 to our Q2 2026 Interim Financial Statements.

(2) For Q2 2026, our revenue exceeded the high end of our guidance range due to higher than anticipated customer demand and strong operational execution. Our adjusted operating margin (non-GAAP) for Q2 2026 exceeded the mid-point of our revenue and adjusted EPS (non-GAAP) guidance ranges and our Q2 2026 adjusted EPS (non-GAAP) exceeded the high end of our guidance range, primarily driven by stronger than anticipated operating leverage. Our GAAP effective tax rate for Q2 2026 was 16%. Our adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP) for Q2 2026 was 20%, lower than our anticipated estimate of approximately 21%, primarily due to favorable profit mix.

Q2 2026 Financial Results

Management will host its Q2 2026 financial results conference call on July 28, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The webcast can be accessed at www.celestica.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to disclosing detailed operating results in accordance with GAAP, Celestica provides supplementary non-GAAP financial measures to consider in evaluating our operating performance. Management uses adjusted net earnings and other non-GAAP financial measures to assess operating performance, financial leverage and the effective use and allocation of resources; to provide more normalized period-to-period comparisons of operating results; to enhance investors’ understanding of the core operating results of Celestica’s business; and to set management incentive targets. We believe investors use both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures to assess management's decisions associated with our priorities and capital allocation, as well as to analyze how our business operates in, or responds to, macroeconomic trends or other events that impact our core operations. See Schedule 1 below.

About Celestica

Celestica is a technology leader dedicated to driving customer success and market advancements. With deep expertise in design, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and platform solutions, Celestica enables critical data center infrastructure for AI, cloud and hybrid cloud, and advances technologies in high-growth markets. With a talented team and a strategic global network, Celestica helps its customers achieve competitive advantages. For more information on Celestica, visit www.celestica.com. Our securities filings can be accessed at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov.

The information contained on or accessible through www.celestica.com is not incorporated by reference into, and does not form part of, this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those related to: strengthening demand in our businesses, demand environment and customer forecasts, our anticipated financial and/or operational results, guidance and outlook, including statements under the headings "Third Quarter of 2026 (Q3 2026) Guidance”, and “2026 Annual Outlook and Long-Term Demand Update”, and including statements with respect to timelines referenced therein, expected revenue growth in 2026 and 2027, developments related to new customer or program wins, timing of production ramps, anticipated economic conditions, industry and market trends and projections, underlying market growth rates, customer demand, prospects and opportunities, and strategic initiatives. Such forward-looking statements may, without limitation, be preceded by, followed by, or include words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “continues,” “projects,” "target," "outlook," "goal," "guidance," “potential,” “possible,” “contemplate,” “seek,” or similar expressions, or may employ such future or conditional verbs as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “should,” or “would,” or may otherwise be indicated as forward-looking statements by grammatical construction, phrasing or context. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, where applicable, and for forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities laws.

Forward-looking statements are provided to assist readers in understanding management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future. Forward-looking statements reflect our current estimates, beliefs and assumptions, which are based on management’s perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including certain assumptions about: revenue growth in 2026 and 2027 (including continued strengthening of customer demand, close alignment with key customers on demand planning, sustained improvements in demand visibility, and continued strengthening of adjusted operating margins); accelerating growth from our customer base, including our CCS customer base; demand levels across our businesses, including continued growth in demand from data center customers in 2026 and 2027; programs and production ramps occurring and progressing as anticipated in line with expected timelines, specifications, qualification requirements and production schedules, customer decisions, design changes, silicon and component availability, qualification outcomes, deployment timelines and priorities, constraints affecting data center development, construction, equipping or operation, and other technical, commercial, regulatory or supply-chain factors, and our expected role in such programs, including our 800G and 1.6T networking, and AI/machine learning compute programs with data center customers; technology upgrade cycles; our ability to retain programs and customers; continuing operating leverage and improving mix; the impact of anticipated market conditions on our businesses; the reliability of third party market forecasts and customer indications of future demands and roadmaps, including with respect to data center infrastructure; continued advancement and commercialization of AI technologies and cloud computing; supporting sustained high levels of capital expenditure investments by leading hyperscaler, AI, and data center customers; our ability to develop new capabilities; scaling of our operations to meet the anticipated growth in customer demand; the successful recruitment and retention of skilled talent; capital investments proceeding as anticipated, including timely completion of construction and operationalization of assets, securing required materials, utilities, and equipment for our expansion plans; our ability to secure adequate component and materials supply; alignment of our capacity with our business demands; the economy; our customers; our suppliers; tax and interest rates; no material changes to tariffs, trade restrictions, customs administration, or related refund or recovery processes, including developments relating to duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 and any replacement, continuing or retaliatory tariff measures, compared to what are in effect as of July 27, 2026; that our customers will retain liability for and we will continue to be able to recover substantially all costs from customers relating to product/component tariffs and countermeasures; no material changes in business activities resulting from current macroeconomic trends and uncertainties, including evolving global tariffs, trade negotiations, and geopolitical conflicts; our ability to achieve our strategic goals; the availability of cash from operations to fund planned capital investments; the availability of capital resources for, and the permissibility under our credit facility of, repurchases of outstanding common shares under our current normal course issuer bid; as well as other market, financial and operational assumptions. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to: changing customer capacity roadmaps for 2026 and beyond; realization of the long-term demand outlook; customer and segment concentration; reduction in customer revenue; erosion in customer market competitiveness; changes in revenue mix and margins; uncertain market, industry, political and economic conditions; customer requests to transfer manufacturing of products from one facility to another; changes to policies or legislation; operational challenges (including inventory management, supply chain constraints, and components, materials or supply shortages); volatility in energy and commodity prices; program ramps not progressing as anticipated; the cyclical nature and/or volatility of certain of our businesses; talent management and inefficient employee utilization, including recruiting, training and retaining sufficient qualified personnel in required jurisdictions and within required timeframes; our expansion plans or consolidation of our operations; planned capital expenditures to support anticipated growth in customer demand; competition risk from evolving AI technologies, including lower-cost/open-source AI models; energy, power and water constraints in the data center ecosystem; cash flow, revenue, and operating results; tax and interest rates variability; technology and IT disruption; increasing legal, tax and regulatory complexity and uncertainty (including in relation to our or our customers' businesses); integrating and achieving the anticipated benefits from acquisitions; and the potential adverse impacts of events outside of our control.

For more exhaustive information on the foregoing and other material risks, uncertainties and assumptions, readers should refer to our public filings at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov, including in our most recent Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Canadian Securities Administrators, as applicable.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

Contacts:

Celestica Global CommunicationsCelestica Investor Relations(416) 448-2200(416) [email protected]@celestica.com   Schedule 1

Supplementary Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release are: adjusted gross profit, adjusted SG&A, adjusted operating earnings (or adjusted EBIAT), adjusted net earnings, and each of the foregoing measures as a percentage of revenue, adjusted EPS, adjusted return on invested capital (ROIC), free cash flow, adjusted tax expense and adjusted effective tax rate.

We believe the non-GAAP financial measures herein enable investors to evaluate and compare our results from operations by excluding specific items that we do not consider to be reflective of our core operations, to evaluate cash resources that we generate from our business each period, to analyze operating results using the same measures our chief operating decision maker uses to measure performance, and to help compare our results with those of our competitors. In addition, management believes that the use of adjusted tax expense and adjusted effective tax rate provides additional transparency into the tax effects of our core operations, and are useful to management and investors for historical comparisons and forecasting. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect management’s belief that the excluded items are not indicative of our core operations.

Non-GAAP financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and therefore may not be directly comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Non-GAAP financial measures are not measures of performance under GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any GAAP financial measure. Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are below.

We do not provide reconciliations for our forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, as we are unable to reasonably estimate the items that we exclude from GAAP to calculate comparable non-GAAP measures without unreasonable effort. This is due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or financial impacts of various events that have not yet occurred, are out of our control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted, and that would impact the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measure. For these same reasons, we are unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures may vary materially from the corresponding GAAP financial measures.

Our non-GAAP financial measures are calculated by making the following adjustments (as applicable) to our GAAP financial measures:

Employee SBC expense, which represents the estimated fair value of stock options, restricted share units and performance share units granted to employees, is excluded because grant activities vary significantly from quarter-to-quarter in both quantity and fair value. We believe excluding this expense allows us to compare core operating results with those of our competitors, who also generally exclude employee SBC expense in assessing operating performance, and may have different granting patterns, equity awards and valuation assumptions.

Total return swap fair value adjustments (TRS FVAs) represent mark-to-market adjustments to our TRS Agreement, as the TRS Agreement is re-measured at fair value at each quarter end. We exclude the impact of these non-cash fair value adjustments (which reflect fluctuations in the market price of our common shares recorded in cost of sales and SG&A) from period to period as such fluctuations do not represent our ongoing operating performance. In addition, we believe that excluding these non-cash adjustments permits a helpful comparison of our core operating results to our competitors.

Amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software) consist of non-cash charges for intangible assets that are impacted by the timing and magnitude of acquired businesses. Amortization of intangible assets varies among our competitors, and we believe that excluding these charges permits a helpful comparison of core operating results to our competitors who also generally exclude amortization charges in assessing operating performance.

Restructuring and Other Charges (Recoveries) consist of, when applicable: Restructuring Charges (Recoveries) (defined below); Transition Costs (Recoveries) (defined below); consulting, transaction and integration costs related to potential and completed acquisitions; where applicable, certain fair value adjustments of contingent consideration in connection with acquisitions; where applicable, legal settlements (recoveries); and where applicable, related costs pertaining to our transition to a U.S. domestic filer. We exclude these charges and recoveries because we believe that they are not directly related to ongoing operating results and do not reflect our expected future operating expenses after completion of the relevant actions. Our competitors may record similar items at different times, and we believe these exclusions permit a helpful comparison of our core operating results with those of our competitors who also generally exclude these items in assessing operating performance.

Restructuring Charges (Recoveries), consist of costs or recoveries relating to: employee severance, site closings and consolidations, accelerated depreciation of owned and leased property and equipment which are no longer used and are held for sale, and reductions in infrastructure.

Transition Costs (Recoveries) consist of costs and recoveries in connection with: (i) the transfer of manufacturing lines from closed sites to other sites within our global network; (ii) the sale of real properties unrelated to restructuring actions; and (iii) where applicable, specified charges or recoveries related to the sublet of a 10-year building lease in Toronto that we previously anticipated to be our corporate headquarters. Transition Costs consist of direct relocation and duplicate costs (such as rent expense, utility costs, depreciation charges, and personnel costs) incurred during the transition periods, as well as cease-use and other costs incurred in connection with idle or vacated portions of the relevant premises that we would not have incurred but for these relocations, transfers and dispositions. We believe that excluding Transition Costs and Recoveries permits a helpful comparison of our core operating results from period-to-period, as they do not reflect our ongoing operations once these specified events are complete.

Miscellaneous Expense (Income) consists primarily of: (i) certain net periodic benefit costs (gains) related to our pension and post-employment benefit plans consisting of interest costs, expected returns on plan balances, and amortization of actuarial gains or losses; (ii) where applicable, gains on insurance claims settlement; and (iii) where applicable, gains or losses related to interest rate swaps that we entered into prior to 2024. Those interest rate swap contracts were accounted for as cash flow hedges (qualifying for hedge accounting) under International Financial Reporting Standards. However, those contracts were not accounted for as such under GAAP until January 1, 2024. Certain gains and losses related to those contracts were recorded in Miscellaneous Expense (Income). We exclude such items because we believe they are not directly related to our ongoing operating results.

Tax effects of the non-core items, which include our non-GAAP adjustments above, are excluded from GAAP tax expense to calculate adjusted tax expense (non-GAAP), as we do not believe these costs or recoveries reflect our core operating performance and vary significantly among our competitors who also generally exclude such items in assessing operating performance.

Our non-GAAP financial measures include the following:

Adjusted operating earnings (Adjusted EBIAT) is defined as GAAP earnings from operations excluding the impact of Employee SBC expense, TRS FVAs, Amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software), and Restructuring and Other Charges (Recoveries). Adjusted operating margin is adjusted operating earnings as a percentage of GAAP revenue. Management uses adjusted operating earnings (adjusted EBIAT) as a measure to assess performance related to our core operations.

Adjusted net earnings is defined as GAAP net earnings excluding the impact of Employee SBC expense, TRS FVAs, Amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software), Restructuring and Other Charges (Recoveries), Miscellaneous Expense (Income) and adjustment for taxes. Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing adjusted net earnings by the number of diluted weighted average shares outstanding. Management uses adjusted net earnings as a measure to assess performance related to our core operations.

Free cash flow is defined as cash provided by (used in) operations less the purchase of property, plant and equipment (net of proceeds from the sale of certain surplus assets, when applicable). Free cash flow does not represent residual cash flow available to Celestica for discretionary expenditures. Management uses free cash flow as a measure, in addition to GAAP cash provided by (used in) operations, to assess our operational cash flow performance. We believe free cash flow provides another level of transparency to our ability to generate cash from normal business operations.

Adjusted ROIC is calculated by dividing annualized adjusted EBIAT by average net invested capital for the period. Net invested capital (calculated in the tables below) is derived from GAAP financial measures, and is defined as total assets less: cash, right-of-use (ROU) assets (operating and finance leases), accounts payable, accrued and other current liabilities and provisions (excluding finance and operating lease liabilities) and income taxes payable. Management uses adjusted ROIC as a measure to assess the effectiveness of the invested capital we employ to build products or provide services to our customers, by quantifying how well we generate earnings relative to the capital we have invested in our business.

The determination of the GAAP effective tax rate and adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP) is described in footnote 1 to the table below.

The following table (which is unaudited) sets forth, for the periods indicated, the various non-GAAP financial measures discussed above, and a reconciliation of such non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures determined under GAAP (in millions, except percentages and per share amounts):

 Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30  2026   2025   2026   2025   % of revenue  % of revenue  % of revenue  % of revenueGAAP revenue$4,698.6   $2,893.4   $8,745.6   $5,542.0              GAAP gross profit$577.5 12.3% $371.0 12.8% $1,014.7 11.6% $644.9 11.6%Employee SBC expense 9.6    7.3    23.2    17.4  TRS FVAs: gains (48.4)   (40.6)   (40.9)   (33.1) Adjusted gross profit (non-GAAP)$538.7 11.5% $337.7 11.7% $997.0 11.4% $629.2 11.4%            GAAP SG&A$58.1 1.2% $38.9 1.3% $175.5 2.0% $151.4 2.7%Employee SBC expense (9.7)   (7.9)   (26.6)   (23.8) TRS FVAs: gains 55.7    56.8    46.2    45.2  Adjusted SG&A (non-GAAP)$104.1 2.2% $87.8 3.0% $195.1 2.2% $172.8 3.1%            GAAP earnings from operations$458.3 9.8% $272.5 9.4% $730.4 8.4% $401.3 7.2%Employee SBC expense 19.3    15.2    49.8    41.2  TRS FVAs: gains (104.1)   (97.4)   (87.1)   (78.3) Amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software) 9.9    9.9    19.9    19.9  Restructuring and other charges (recoveries) 2.9    14.5    (1.5)   18.4  Adjusted operating earnings (adjusted EBIAT) (non-GAAP)$386.3 8.2% $214.7 7.4% $711.5 8.1% $402.5 7.3%            GAAP net earnings$368.8 7.8% $211.0 7.3% $581.1 6.6% $297.2 5.4%Employee SBC expense 19.3    15.2    49.8    41.2  TRS FVAs: gains (104.1)   (97.4)   (87.1)   (78.3) Amortization of intangible assets (excluding computer software) 9.9    9.9    19.9    19.9  Restructuring and other charges (recoveries) 2.9    14.5    (1.5)   18.4  Miscellaneous Expense (Income) (0.7)   1.7    (0.9)   3.1  Adjustments for taxes(1) (0.7)   6.3    (16.4)   (0.2) Adjusted net earnings (non-GAAP)$295.4 6.3% $161.2 5.6% $544.9 6.2% $301.3 5.4%            Diluted EPS           Weighted average # of shares (in millions) 116.2    115.9    116.0    116.4  GAAP EPS$3.17   $1.82   $5.01   $2.55  Adjusted EPS (non-GAAP)$2.54   $1.39   $4.70   $2.59  # of shares outstanding at period end (in millions) 115.0    115.0    115.0    115.0              GAAP cash provided by operations$410.9   $152.4   $767.2   $282.7  Purchase of property, plant and equipment, net of sales proceeds (263.8)   (32.5)   (482.2)   (69.2) Free cash flow (non-GAAP)$147.1   $119.9   $285.0   $213.5              GAAP ROIC % 65.8%   45.0%   53.9%   33.2% Adjusted ROIC % (non-GAAP) 55.5%   35.5%   52.5%   33.3%                      (1) The adjustments for taxes represent the tax effects (reflecting applicable effective tax rates) of the non-core items, which include our non-GAAP adjustments above.

Our GAAP effective tax rate is calculated as (i) GAAP tax expense divided by (ii) earnings from operations minus finance costs, net of interest income, and Miscellaneous Expense (Income) recorded on our statements of operations. Our adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP) is calculated as (i) adjusted tax expense (non-GAAP) divided by (ii) adjusted operating earnings (non-GAAP) minus finance costs, net of interest income. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our calculation of GAAP effective tax rate and adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP):

 Three months ended Six months ended June 30 June 30  2026   2025   2026   2025 GAAP tax expense$72.8  $46.3  $116.8  $73.8         Earnings from operations$458.3  $272.5  $730.4  $401.3 Finance costs (21.2)  (14.4)  (39.2)  (29.4)Interest income 3.8   0.9   5.8   2.2 Miscellaneous Income (Expense) 0.7   (1.7)  0.9   (3.1) $441.6  $257.3  $697.9  $371.0         GAAP effective tax rate 16%  18%  17%  20%        Adjusted tax expense (non-GAAP)$73.5  $40.0  $133.2  $74.0         Adjusted operating earnings (non-GAAP)$386.3  $214.7  $711.5  $402.5 Finance costs (21.2)  (14.4)  (39.2)  (29.4)Interest income 3.8   0.9   5.8   2.2  $368.9  $201.2  $678.1  $375.3         Adjusted effective tax rate (non-GAAP) 20%  20%  20%  20%                 The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our calculation of GAAP ROIC % and adjusted ROIC % (non-GAAP) (in millions, except GAAP ROIC % and adjusted ROIC % (non-GAAP)):

 Three months ended Six months ended June 30 June 30  2026   2025   2026   2025 GAAP earnings from operations$458.3  $272.5  $730.4  $401.3 Multiplier to annualize earnings 4   4   2   2 Annualized GAAP earnings from operations$1,833.2  $1,090.0  $1,460.8  $802.6         Average net invested capital for the period*$2,786.6  $2,419.9  $2,711.8  $2,418.2         GAAP ROIC % 65.8%  45.0%  53.9%  33.2%         Three months ended Six months ended June 30 June 30  2026   2025   2026   2025 Adjusted operating earnings (adjusted EBIAT) (non-GAAP)$386.3  $214.7  $711.5  $402.5 Multiplier to annualize earnings 4   4   2   2 Annualized adjusted EBIAT (non-GAAP)$1,545.2  $858.8  $1,423.0  $805.0         Average net invested capital for the period*$2,786.6  $2,419.9  $2,711.8  $2,418.2         Adjusted ROIC % (non-GAAP) 55.5%  35.5%  52.5%  33.3%  June 30
2026 March 31
2026 December 31
2025Net invested capital consists of:     Total assets$9,787.6 $8,260.0 $7,213.1Less: cash 535.7  378.0  595.6Less: ROU assets (operating and finance leases) 218.5  199.9  173.1Less: accounts payable, accrued and other current liabilities and provisions (excluding finance and operating lease liabilities) and income taxes payable 6,120.7  5,021.7  3,882.0Net invested capital at period end*$2,912.7 $2,660.4 $2,562.4       June 30
2025 March 31
2025 December 31
2024Net invested capital consists of:     Total assets$6,241.1 $5,834.9 $5,988.2Less: cash 313.8  303.0  423.3Less: ROU assets (operating and finance leases) 174.9  178.6  180.8Less: accounts payable, accrued and other current liabilities and provisions (excluding finance and operating lease liabilities) and income taxes payable 3,265.7  3,000.3  2,969.2Net invested capital at period end*$2,486.7 $2,353.0 $2,414.9 * We use a two-point average to calculate average net invested capital for the quarter and a three-point average to calculate average net invested capital for the six-month period. Average net invested capital for Q2 2026 is the average of net invested capital at June 30, 2026 and March 31, 2026 and average net invested capital for the first half of 2026 is the average of net invested capital at June 30, 2026, March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025.

CELESTICA INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in millions of U.S. dollars)
(unaudited)
     June 30
2026 December 31
2025Assets   Current assets:   Cash and cash equivalents$535.7 $595.6Accounts receivable, net 3,338.2  2,638.1Inventories 3,401.7  2,188.0Other current assets 298.7  251.5Total current assets 7,574.3  5,673.2Property, plant and equipment, net 1,026.3  586.0Operating lease right-of-use assets 152.7  124.1Goodwill 332.9  333.1Intangible assets, net 244.9  266.2Deferred income taxes 206.2  156.4Other non-current assets 250.3  74.1Total assets$9,787.6 $7,213.1    Liabilities and Equity   Current liabilities:   Current portion of borrowings under credit facility and finance lease obligations$26.4 $26.0Accounts payable 3,819.7  1,866.1Accrued and other current liabilities and provisions 2,131.5  1,896.8Income taxes payable 202.0  150.7Total current liabilities 6,179.6  3,939.6Long-term portion of borrowings under credit facility and finance lease obligations 784.0  750.5Pension and non-pension post-employment benefit obligations 90.2  89.5Other non-current liabilities and provisions 213.7  176.0Deferred income taxes 40.5  41.2Total liabilities 7,308.0  4,996.8Equity:   Total equity 2,479.6  2,216.3Total liabilities and equity$9,787.6 $7,213.1 CELESTICA INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in millions of U.S. dollars, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)     Three months ended Six months ended June 30 June 30  2026   2025   2026   2025         Revenue$4,698.6  $2,893.4  $8,745.6  $5,542.0 Cost of sales 4,121.1   2,522.4   7,730.9   4,897.1 Gross profit 577.5   371.0   1,014.7   644.9 Selling, general and administrative expenses 58.1   38.9   175.5   151.4 Research and development 46.3   34.0   87.5   51.6 Amortization of intangible assets 11.9   11.1   22.8   22.2 Restructuring and other charges (recoveries) 2.9   14.5   (1.5)  18.4 Earnings from operations 458.3   272.5   730.4   401.3 Finance costs 21.2   14.4   39.2   29.4 Interest income (3.8)  (0.9)  (5.8)  (2.2)Miscellaneous expense (income) (0.7)  1.7   (0.9)  3.1 Earnings before income taxes 441.6   257.3   697.9   371.0 Income tax expense (recovery)       Current 94.8   61.2   165.4   88.8 Deferred (22.0)  (14.9)  (48.6)  (15.0)  72.8   46.3   116.8   73.8 Net earnings$368.8  $211.0  $581.1  $297.2         Earnings per share:       Basic$3.21  $1.83  $5.05  $2.57 Diluted$3.17  $1.82  $5.01  $2.55         Weighted-average shares used in computing per share amounts (in millions):       Basic 115.0   115.1   115.0   115.5 Diluted 116.2   115.9   116.0   116.4  CELESTICA INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in millions of U.S. dollars)
(unaudited)     Three months ended Six months ended June 30 June 30Cash provided by (used in): 2026   2025   2026   2025 Operating activities:       Net earnings$368.8  $211.0  $581.1  $297.2 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash flows provided by operating activities:      Depreciation and amortization 44.0   45.3   83.6   82.7 Stock-based compensation (SBC) 19.3   15.2   49.8   41.2 Total return swap (TRS) fair value adjustments (104.1)  (97.4)  (87.1)  (78.3)Restructuring and other charges (recoveries) —   0.4   (10.0)  0.4 Unrealized losses on hedge derivatives —   1.3   —   2.6 Deferred income taxes (22.0)  (14.9)  (48.6)  (15.0)Other (3.7)  12.2   2.8   18.4 Changes in non-cash working capital items:       Accounts receivable (170.8)  (151.9)  (700.1)  (218.8)Inventories (728.8)  (129.8)  (1,213.7)  (157.5)Other current assets (17.1)  (9.4)  12.7   (6.4)Accounts payable, accrued and other current liabilities, provisions and income taxes payable 1,025.3   270.4   2,096.7   316.2 Net cash provided by operating activities 410.9   152.4   767.2   282.7         Investing activities:       Purchase of property, plant and equipment (263.8)  (32.5)  (493.3)  (69.2)Proceeds from sale of assets —   —   11.1   — Other (2.5)  (2.5)  (2.5)  (2.5)Net cash used in investing activities (266.3)  (35.0)  (484.7)  (71.7)        Financing activities:       Borrowings under revolving loans 430.0   190.0   600.0   500.0 Repayments under revolving loans (430.0)  (250.0)  (600.0)  (410.0)Borrowings under term loans 250.0   —   250.0   — Repayments under term loans (229.3)  (4.3)  (233.7)  (8.7)Principal payments of finance leases (2.0)  (2.6)  (5.0)  (5.2)Proceeds from issuance of capital stock —   0.3   —   0.3 Repurchase of capital stock for cancellation —   (40.0)  (22.6)  (117.7)Purchase of treasury stock for SBC plans —   —   —   (221.6)Proceeds from TRS settlement —   —   —   98.6 SBC cash settlement (0.8)  —   (326.3)  (156.0)Debt issuance costs paid (4.8)  —   (4.8)  (0.2)Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 13.1   (106.6)  (342.4)  (320.5)        Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 157.7   10.8   (59.9)  (109.5)Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 378.0   303.0   595.6   423.3 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$535.7  $313.8  $535.7  $313.8         Supplemental disclosure information:       Interest paid$20.8  $12.5  $39.3  $27.3 Net income taxes paid$74.7  $50.6  $145.5  $56.2 Non-cash investing activity:       Unpaid purchases of property, plant and equipment at end of period$180.0  $31.4  $180.0  $31.4 

Yes, Ford Motor Company (F +2.16%) can afford its dividend, because the $6.1 billion trailing-year loss is mostly paper while the payout is paid in cash. The dividend costs about $2.4 billion a year, and management expects $5 billion to $6 billion of adjusted free cash flow in 2026. That leaves the payout consuming under half of it.

Image source: Getty Images.

But the loss deserves an explanation. Ford lost $8.2 billion in 2025, but that figure included $9.4 billion of noncash write-downs tied to walking back its electric vehicle plans. Those are accounting charges on factories and programs, not cash going out the door. The cash statements told a different story, with operating cash flow of $21.3 billion last year and adjusted free cash flow of $3.5 billion.

This year has started better on both ledgers. First-quarter net income rose to $2.5 billion, helped by a one-time $1.3 billion tariff refund. Management also raised its full-year guidance for adjusted earnings before interest and taxes to $8.5 billion to $10.5 billion. And Ford Credit, the financing arm, added $783 million of pre-tax earnings in the quarter and is expected to deliver about $2.5 billion for the year -- a steady contributor the headline loss never touched.

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The payout math is comfortable. A dividend of $0.15 per quarter across about 4 billion shares comes to about $2.4 billion annually, or 40% to 48% of this year's expected free cash flow. On a roughly $14.70 stock, that payout yields about 4.1%. Coverage like that has room to spare, as long as the cash guidance holds.

That is what Tuesday's report, due at 4:05 p.m. ET, has to show. Adjusted free cash flow was a $1.9 billion outflow in the seasonally weak first quarter, so the cash needs to start arriving in the middle of the year. Management has also flagged about $2 billion of commodity cost headwinds, led by aluminum, for the guidance to absorb.

For income investors, the setup is simpler than the headline numbers suggest. The 4.1% yield is covered by cash the accounting loss never touched. Tuesday's job is to show that cash flowing on schedule, and that matters more for the dividend than any earnings figure the report prints.

Daniel Sparks and his clients do not have positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Rocket Lab (RKLB +4.74%) is building a business that extends well beyond small rocket launches.

In its recent Victus Haze mission, Rocket Lab combined an Electron rocket, a company-built Pioneer spacecraft, mission software, ground control systems, and in-space operations into a single rapid response service for the U.S. Space Force. The company launched the spacecraft just 16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving the Space Force's final instructions. The company also activated and tested the spacecraft in about 38 hours, well ahead of the 72-hour deadline.

The spacecraft was then moved close enough to a target satellite to track, observe, and photograph it in less than 59 hours. The exercise simulated how the U.S. military could quickly inspect a satellite that was behaving unexpectedly or potentially threatening another spacecraft.

Image source: Getty Images.

Rocket Lab sold an entire mission Rocket Lab did not invent satellite imaging or the ability to move one spacecraft close to another. The breakthrough was to bring the rocket, satellite, software, and in-space operations together under one company and complete the entire mission within days.

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Rocket Lab said Victus Haze marked the first U.S. Space Force rapid-response mission in which a single prime contractor supplied the rocket, spacecraft, and on-orbit operations. Traditional missions can involve separate companies responsible for the spacecraft, launch, software, and orbital operations. Reducing those handoffs could help the Space Force move faster and lower the risk that delays at one contractor disrupt the entire mission. Hence, the company can now earn revenue from several parts of one mission instead of being paid only for the launch.

The original $32 million Victus Haze contract covered the design and manufacture of a Rocket Lab spacecraft, its launch on Electron, and subsequent on-orbit operations. The mission included custom engineering and years of development, so its profit margin may have been modest. However, it still shows how Rocket Lab can increase revenue per customer by selling the spacecraft, launch, software, and mission operations together instead of charging only for the launch.

Growth catalysts and risks Victus Haze was more demanding than a normal launch because Rocket Lab did not know the final orbit in advance. After receiving the Space Force's launch order, the company took about four hours to finalize the trajectory, update the rocket's software, and coordinate ground station support.

Rocket Lab will continue operating Pioneer for several months under additional Space Force assignments. These tasks will test more advanced ways of tracking, approaching, and observing.

Rocket Lab could generate more revenue from additional spacecraft and continued in-space operations. Repeat missions may also become cheaper to deliver if the company can reuse Pioneer's design, software, and testing work, although Rocket Lab has not quantified those potential savings.

However, the Victus Haze contract is still small compared with the company's $2.2 billion backlog. Hence, this integrated offering will become financially meaningful only if it secures more contracts or enters into a recurring services program with the U.S. Space Force.

Rocket Lab had about $1.48 billion in cash and investments at the end of the first quarter. After raising additional capital and securing more funding, the company said it had access to more than $2 billion in total liquidity. However, its larger financial commitment remains Neutron, the next-generation reusable rocket it is developing to launch heavier satellites.

Victus Haze could help Rocket Lab win a bigger role in future space and defense missions. The next test is whether it leads to repeat orders that generate healthy profits.

For Bloom Energy (BE +2.09%) stock to stabilize, Tuesday's report arguably needs to show revenue tracking toward the full-year guidance of $3.4 billion to $3.8 billion that management raised in April, with margins holding near its targets.

Bloom builds fuel cell systems that generate electricity on-site, which lets data centers plug in power without waiting years for a grid connection. On Friday, the stock fell alongside its whole sector as investors backed away from the crowded artificial intelligence (AI) power trade. Even after the drop, shares remain up more than 100% in 2026. They also sit about 47% below their 52-week high of $351.28 after a hard month.

Image source: Getty Images.

The business behind all that volatility has been performing. First-quarter revenue rose 130% year over year to $751.1 million, driven by product revenue that roughly tripled. The company swung to operating income of $72.2 million from a loss a year earlier. And non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings per share came in at $0.44, up from $0.03.

That report is what prompted the April guidance raise: $3.4 billion to $3.8 billion of revenue, an adjusted gross margin of about 34%, and adjusted earnings per share of $1.85 to $2.25 for the year.

Notably, Bloom booked $751 million of revenue in the first quarter. Reaching even the low end of the full-year range means averaging about $880 million per quarter the rest of the way. A second quarter near that pace, with gross margin moving toward the 34% target, would show the plan on schedule.

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The timing commentary may matter as much as the totals. Investors should listen for updates on the large data-center deployments behind Bloom's growth, because the market has grown impatient this year about when announced projects turn into revenue. A delayed project doesn't shrink the opportunity, but it moves the money further away -- and this valuation has little patience built in.

That valuation is why the bar sits so high. At about 90 times the midpoint of management's own adjusted earnings guidance for the year, the stock prices in years of growth like this. A multiple like that can survive almost anything except doubt, which is how a no-news Friday last week erased 15% of the company's value.

So, in my view, the report has a clear job: Confirm the guidance and the deployment timing, and then the underlying business might start to look like it can live up to the stock price. Miss on either, and the market has already shown what it does with doubt. Either way, investors should expect this stock to keep moving in big steps -- in both directions.

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (SSD) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 27, 2026 5:00 PM EDT

Company Participants

Michael Olosky - CEO, President & Director
Matt Dunn - CFO & Treasurer

Conference Call Participants

Kimberly Orlando - ADDO Investor Relations
Ethan Roberts - Stephens Inc., Research Division
Timothy Wojs - Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Research Division
Kurt Yinger - D.A. Davidson & Co., Research Division
Dan Moore - CJS Securities, Inc.
W. Andrew Carter - Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Greetings. Welcome to the Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call.

[Operator Instructions]

Please note this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the conference over to Kim Orlando with Investor Relations. Thank you. You may begin.

Kimberly Orlando
ADDO Investor Relations

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Simpson Manufacturing Company's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Any statements made on this call that are not statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on certain estimates and expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual future results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

We encourage you to read the risks described in the company's public filings and reports, which are available on the SEC's or the company's corporate website. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or publicly revise any of the forward-looking statements that we make here today, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. On this call, we will also refer to non-GAAP measures such as adjusted EBITDA, which is reconciled to the most comparable GAAP measure of net income in the company's earnings press release.

Please note that the earnings press release was issued

U.S. spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds attracted $103.90 million in net inflows for the week of July 20–24, outpacing Bitcoin funds by a factor of roughly three, according to data reported by SoSoValue. The weekly total for Bitcoin ETFs was $33.79 million.

The flow divergence caps a volatile week for Bitcoin funds. After three consecutive sessions adding $227 million, $203 million, and $69 million respectively, Bitcoin ETFs saw $225 million and $240 million in outflows on Thursday and Friday, erasing most of the week's gains. Ethereum funds, by contrast, held relatively steady across all five sessions.

The flow picture for the week masks a more important pattern. This is now the third time in 2026 that Ethereum ETF weekly inflows have exceeded Bitcoin ETF weekly inflows. A similar divergence occurred in mid-July, when ETH funds took in $105.44 million against BTC funds' $75.67 million, and in April, when Ethereum funds recorded $187 million in weekly inflows during a period when Bitcoin funds posted $325.8 million in single-day outflows.

Within Bitcoin funds, the flow picture is not uniform. BlackRock's IBIT saw $95.5 million in outflows for the week, while the Bitcoin Mini Trust from Grayscale added $85.8 million and ARKB added $78.1 million. The rotation among Bitcoin ETF products—rather than outright outflows from the category—suggests some institutional allocators are redistributing Bitcoin exposure across fund issuers while simultaneously adding Ethereum exposure.

Ethereum ETFs have now accumulated approximately $11.68 billion in net inflows since launch, according to CoinDesk citing Artemis. Bitcoin ETFs remain in net outflow territory year-to-date, down approximately $4.76 billion for 2026 despite the recent inflow streak.

The flow data is consistent with allocator commentary noting that Ethereum's appeal extends beyond price exposure. Research published by BRN has characterized July as a "repair phase" for crypto markets rather than a breakout, with institutional demand remaining cautious but selectively directed toward Ethereum on expectations of network activity, stablecoin infrastructure, and corporate treasury use cases.

Hyperliquid-protocol wrapper funds – marketed under the HYPE ticker – posted a second consecutive weekly outflow of $8.61 million, bringing total assets down approximately 18% from their July 10 peak. The outflows reflect persistent competition from low-cost crypto ETFs, which offer exposure to digital asset markets at a fraction of the fee complexity of native protocol tokens.

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas has noted that spot crypto ETFs charging a few basis points represent a structural challenge to exchange business models that rely on higher-margin token trading.

ETFs are a nightmare for high margin intermediaries. You can get all the coins now via ETF for trading fee of 1-3bps. Crypto exchanges can’t compete w that.

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) July 26, 2026 The data challenges any simple narrative about institutional crypto allocation. Bitcoin funds are not uniformly losing ground – three-week inflow streaks and mid-week totals show genuine demand. But Ethereum's consistent outperformance across distinct periods in 2026 points to a more deliberate allocator preference that is not fully explained by price movements alone.

Item 1 of 2 Apple's CEO Tim Cook and Senior Vice President Hardware Engineering John Ternus attend the premiere of season four of the Apple TV series "Ted Lasso" at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 27, 2026. REUTERS/David Swanson

[1/2]Apple's CEO Tim Cook and Senior Vice President Hardware Engineering John Ternus attend the premiere of season four of the Apple TV series "Ted Lasso" at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles,... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

SummaryCompaniesJohn Ternus takes over as Apple CEO in SeptemberApple began offering original TV series and films through Apple TV in 2019Ternus and current CEO Tim Cook spoke at premiere for new season ​of 'Ted Lasso'LOS ANGELES, July 27 (Reuters) - Apple's (AAPL.O), opens new tab incoming CEO, hardware chief John Ternus, ‌said he was committed to building on the company's momentum in the entertainment business when he takes the helm of the iPhone maker in September.

The technology giant began offering original TV series and films through the Apple TV+ ​streaming app in 2019. The company found success with Oscar best picture winner "CODA," box-office blockbuster "F1" ​and Emmy-winning shows such as "The Studio" and "Ted Lasso."

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Last year, Apple dropped the plus ⁠sign and renamed the service Apple TV.

"I think we have such tremendous momentum right now in ​Apple TV," Ternus told Reuters on the red carpet at the premiere of the fourth season of "Ted ​Lasso."

"There's so many amazing shows, so many amazing characters and stories, and so we're just going to keep building on the momentum."

Ternus stood next to current CEO Tim Cook, who said he is sharing his insights about the ​entertainment business as part of the leadership transition.

"Our role is to be the best. That's our ​lane," Cook said of Apple's entertainment strategy. "We're not about the most. There are ... other companies that do that. But ‌we're ⁠about the best, and I feel like we really hit our stride in providing that."

Cook said Apple was open to future partnerships in the entertainment realm if the company feels it can bring a particular expertise. He pointed to the arrangement with the Formula 1 racing league.

For the Brad Pitt ​movie "F1," Apple built custom ​cameras to help make ⁠audiences feel like they were inside a race car. F1 races are now shown exclusively on Apple TV in the United States, and the company ​provides leaderboards, updates and other coverage on Apple News and other apps.

"We'll ​do things ⁠that we can bring something unique to, where we can innovate in a way that others might not be able to," Cook said. "I feel like we're really doing that with F1. We're so excited about ⁠how ​we're doing there and the viewership numbers that we're getting. ​So more things like that would be possible."

Last month, senior Apple executive Eddy Cue told Reuters the company's goal was to offer "better ​and more" TV shows and movies on streaming and in cinemas.

Reporting by Rollo Ross; Writing by Lisa Richwine

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An examination by the Avalanche Foundation of four structural challenges in Avalanche validator economics and the need for a more sustainable model that aligns rewards with network activity, performance, and long-term security.

Why Avalanche Validator Economics Need a Redesign

Following up on my tokenomics thread, here's another uncomfortable truth I think many in this industry already see but few are willing to say:

Validator economics on most PoS chains, including Avalanche, were designed for an earlier stage. As these networks mature, structural misalignments are emerging that threaten long-term network security if left unaddressed.

Here are four structural problems to address:

Inflation as the Sole Revenue Source Has an Expiration Date

Validators Have Zero Alignment With C-Chain Success

Inflation Is Dilutive, and the Math Is Visible

Validator Markets Are Perfectly Competitive, and That's Actually a Problem

Let's walk through them.

Problem #1: Inflation as the Sole Revenue Source Has an Expiration DateValidators today earn rewards almost entirely from token issuance. On Avalanche, that's roughly 6-7% APY paid in newly minted AVAX.

But issuance is finite. As we approach supply cap, validator rewards shrink toward zero. And when they do, validators have no economic reason to stay.

Network security becomes a depreciating asset.

Think about what that means at the limit. If the only thing keeping validators online is inflation, then the security budget of your chain is literally counting down. Every token minted brings you closer to the moment where the economics no longer justify running a node.

That's not a distant theoretical risk. It's a deep economic design flaw that needs to be addressed now, while we still can. And critically, better code alone won't fix it. This is an economics problem that requires an economics solution.

Problem #2: Validators Have Zero Alignment With C-Chain SuccessOn Avalanche, all C-Chain transaction fees are burned. Every single one. Validators don't see a cent of it.

The very activity that makes the network valuable generates no revenue for the people securing it. The more the C-Chain thrives, the more work validators do, with no incremental upside.

This connects directly to my previous tokenomics thread. We already showed that the burn mechanism is weakening over time as a value accrual tool. It hits the inelastic supply side and its impact converges toward zero as the chain scales.

So you have a mechanism that is both a weak value accrual channel and excludes validators from participation. One path worth exploring: whether some portion of those fees could flow to validators instead, giving them a revenue stream tied to actual network usage rather than inflation alone.

This is one of the things we're actively researching at the Avalanche Foundation.

Problem #3: Inflation Is Dilutive, and the Math Is VisibleCirculating supply has grown since launch. That's not inherently bad - inflation subsidizes network security. But when inflation is untargeted, it silently transfers value from holders to validators, without those validators having a sustainable revenue model once inflation runs out.

That's not a validator failure. It's an incentive design problem. And it's exactly what we need to fix. Inflation should be used surgically. To reward specific behaviors: uptime, performance, ecosystem contribution. Not as a blanket payment for passively existing on the network.

Problem #4: Validator Markets Are Perfectly Competitive, and That's Actually a ProblemFrom a delegator's perspective, validators are nearly indistinguishable. Same chain, same rewards, same slashing rules. The only real differentiator is commission rate.

Consider the two extremes. A monopoly has full pricing power precisely because they're unique and barriers to entry are extreme - they capture all the value. A perfectly competitive market has no differentiation, no pricing power, no barriers to entry - value capture may collapse to zero.

Validators sit squarely in the second bucket. The lesson isn't that monopolies are good. It's that heterogeneity creates pricing power, and pricing power is what makes validation a sustainable business.

And that's exactly what we see playing out. Delegation fees compress toward zero as validators undercut each other to attract stake. This likely makes running a validator increasingly unsustainable over time, especially for smaller independent operators. The end state is consolidation around a few large, well-capitalized validators. That's the opposite of decentralization.

A market solution is needed, not a technical one. Something that reshapes the economic incentives, not just the codebase. One direction worth exploring: fee structures that reward longevity and proven track record. A validator that has reliably secured the chain for years should not compete on the same terms as one that spun up yesterday. There are other approaches too. We're thinking through several.

From Diagnosis To DesignTo summarize the four problems: inflation-only rewards have an expiration date. Validators are economically disconnected from the chain's success. Inflation is dilutive and poorly targeted. And perfect competition drives delegation fees into unsustainability.

These aren't complaints. And they aren't bugs you can patch with a protocol upgrade. These are deep economic problems baked into the incentive structure itself. Better code alone won't fix this. These problems require rigorous economic design - the kind that accounts for game theory, market structure, and long-term incentive alignment, among others.

None of this is new to many of you.

People in this community have been raising these issues for a long time. Having this conversation openly isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign that we're ready to move from diagnosis to design.

At the Avalanche Foundation, we are hard at work on a sustainable validator economics model that addresses each of these. We're working through the design and will share our thinking as it comes together. Community input will be essential to getting this right.

And if we get this right, it won't just matter for Avalanche. It could set a new standard for sustainable economic design across the industry.

Community Already IdeatingI also want to say this: we see the community already working on these problems.

Shout out to @ijaack94 and his work on ACP-247 - particularly the thinking around delegation multipliers. Giving validators more room to build a business without requiring so much capital upfront to get started is exactly the kind of questioning that moves us forward.

We're listening. We see you. And we want to solve this problem with you.

Let’s Talk About ItI want to hear from you. A few questions to get the conversation started:

Which of these four problems do you think is most urgent to solve?

Are there validator economic models from other chains worth borrowing from?

At what point does the economics of running a node stop making sense for you?

No perfect answers here. That's the point. The best solutions will come from this community thinking through these tradeoffs together.

Drop your thoughts below in this social post on X.

There’s a pile of money sitting on the sidelines of the crypto industry right now. Whether it actually enters the game depends on a piece of legislation most people outside Washington have never heard of.

Kristin Smith, president of the Solana Policy Institute, is sounding the alarm that the CLARITY Act needs to pass, and soon. Her core argument is straightforward: investors are ready to deploy capital into the digital asset ecosystem, but they won’t do it if the legal framework remains a question mark.

What the CLARITY Act actually does The bill tackles one of crypto’s most persistent regulatory headaches: who exactly is responsible when software facilitates financial transactions? Under current ambiguity, open-source developers, validators, and non-custodial wallet providers exist in a legal gray zone that makes institutional investors deeply uncomfortable.

Section 604 of the act is where the action is. It would protect developers who don’t have control over user assets from being classified as money transmitters.

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The bill also aims to exempt non-custodial software maintainers from money transmitter obligations. This distinction matters enormously for decentralized networks like Solana, where thousands of independent validators and developers contribute to the ecosystem without ever touching user funds.

The Senate Banking Committee cleared the bill in May 2026 with a 15-9 vote, pushing it toward a potential floor vote. Smith has described the legislation as having a significant chance of passing the Senate before the August recess.

The capital flight concern Smith’s warning centers on a dynamic that crypto observers have watched play out for years. When the US fails to provide clear rules, projects and capital migrate to jurisdictions that do.

The stakes are particularly concrete for Solana’s ecosystem. The network’s real-world asset value sits at approximately $3 billion, a figure that represents tangible financial infrastructure already built on the chain. That’s not speculative token value. That’s tokenized treasuries, real estate, and other traditional assets living on Solana’s rails.

The opposition isn’t trivial either. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has publicly criticized the bill, and negotiations around conflict-of-interest clauses remain unresolved. The ethics provisions have become a sticking point that could delay or dilute the final legislation.

Why this matters beyond Solana While the Solana Policy Institute obviously has skin in this game, the CLARITY Act’s implications extend well beyond any single blockchain network. The developer protection provisions would apply across the entire US digital asset landscape, affecting everyone from Ethereum core contributors to Bitcoin node operators.

The 15-9 committee vote suggests the bill has meaningful bipartisan support, but committee votes and floor votes are different animals. Senate floor time is a precious commodity, and crypto legislation has to compete with every other priority on the majority leader’s calendar.

If the bill doesn’t reach a floor vote before recess, the legislative calendar gets significantly more crowded in the fall.

Solana’s $3 billion in real-world assets demonstrates that serious capital has already committed to the ecosystem despite the regulatory fog. The question Smith is really asking is how much more would flow in if the fog lifted, and how much of what’s already there might eventually drift toward clearer skies.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Reddit (NYSE: RDDT) may be the most intriguing AI stock on the market.

Unlike semiconductors, software companies, or hyperscalers, Reddit derives its value in AI from its “corpus,” or the body of content on its site, which may be the most valuable source material for generative AI training and inference.

The vast majority of Reddit’s revenue still comes from advertising, but its potential in data licensing has helped expand the stock’s valuation and attracted AI investors.

The social media company is due to report second-quarter earnings after the market closes on Thursday. Could the stock soar on the news? Let’s take a closer look at what to expect.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

What to expect when Reddit reportsReddit has delivered phenomenal results since going public in 2024, and its shares are up more than 400% since then. However, the stock has been volatile over the last year, and is actually down 20% year-to-date as it fell sharply in January alongside the broader software sell-off, though it’s much different from a traditional software-as-a-service (SaaS) company.

Additionally, its revenue growth has not dipped below 48% since it went public, and ad revenue growth has been driven by new ad tools and automated ad campaigns, interest in the platform in the AI era, and the high commercial intent of users, as many subreddits focus on product or experience purchases.

After Reddit reported 69% growth in the first quarter, analysts are expecting another strong round of results in Q2, calling for 46.3% top-line growth to $731 million, and for generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) earnings to more than double from $0.45 to $0.97.

The biggest catalyst to watchThe biggest issue facing Reddit right now is its standoff with Google over data licensing. The two companies have been renegotiating their $60 million-a-year deal as Reddit is wary of Google scraping its site and then using that information to direct users to Google’s AI Overviews, rather than to Reddit’s site. Reddit reportedly wants a usage-based fee from Google, unsatisfied with the current agreement.

Reddit stock fell 9% in a single session last week after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company had considered cutting off Google’s access to its content as part of its negotiations, suggesting investors are fearful of any fallout.

Expect plenty of questions on the earnings call about the relationship with Google, as Reddit could bring in significantly more cash if it secures usage-based fees or a similarly favorable deal from Google. Google’s shift to AI summaries has cannibalized traffic for media partners like Reddit, so the current system may be untenable.

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Digital advertising growth remains strong as Alphabet just reported 14% advertising growth in the second quarter. Reddit also has a history of lowballing guidance, meaning it could easily beat expectations in its second quarter. If it can do that, offer solid guidance, spin the Google news in a positive way, and signal more potential growth for the data licensing business, the stock could move significantly higher on Thursday.

By PYMNTS  |  July 27, 2026

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When Apple launches its leasing offering, Apple Upgrade, on Tuesday (July 28), the company will wind down its iPhone Upgrade Program, Bloomberg reported Sunday (July 26).

Apple will stop accepting new enrollments to the iPhone Upgrade Program but will allow those who are already in the program to continue it “for the time being,” the report said.

Compared to the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple Upgrade will not include AppleCare; will be a leasing program rather than a financing program; and will be backed by Klarna rather than Citizens Bank, according to the report.

It was reported July 21 that the soon-to-be-launched leasing program will be one of the largest-ever changes to how Apple sells its products.

The program will support most iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models, and Klarna will serve as Apple Upgrade’s financial backer, according to the report.

The report said Apple Upgrade will work like a subscription. Users will be able to pay off devices early in their term, upgrade earlier to newer models, or keep the original device until the leasing period ends. As with a car lease, the device could be returned when the term is up.

Apple aims to promote the program as a way to have lower payments than what current financing programs offer. While the company did not include the iPhone in a recent round of price increases, it is widely expected to raise the cost of the device when the latest model debuts in September, per the report.

Digitaltrends reported Sunday that the new Apple Upgrade program will launch first in the United States and will offer 24-month leases on eligible iPhones and Apple Watches and 36-month leases on Macs and iPads.

It was reported in December 2024 that Apple stopped its development of an iPhone hardware subscription program after running into software bugs and concerns about potential regulatory scrutiny.

Earlier in 2024, Apple shut down its buy now, pay later (BNPL) offering because of stricter regulations announced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The company began promoting third-party BNPL programs offered by Affirm and Klarna instead.

Item 1 of 2 A Boeing worker passes by a 737 MAX airplane on the final assembly production line during a media tour of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Genna Martin//File Photo

[1/2]A Boeing worker passes by a 737 MAX airplane on the final assembly production line during a media tour of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Genna... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

CompaniesSEATTLE, July 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said ​on Monday that seats on hundreds of Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737 MAX jets registered ‌in the U.S. may require inspections in case they were incorrectly installed and needed to be fixed.

If not corrected, the seats could injure passengers and crew members during an emergency landing or ​block the aisle and slow an evacuation, the agency said.

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The FAA's proposed ​airworthiness directive issued on Monday would apply to 453 jets registered ⁠in the U.S. The agency only has jurisdiction over U.S. airlines, but foreign regulators ​typically follow FAA directives if applicable.

Nearly 2,300 737 MAX jets are in service around ​the world, including 823 in the U.S., according to aviation advisory and intelligence firm IBA.

The proposed directive comes as Boeing works to improve its production quality and boost output under CEO Kelly Ortberg. ​Production quality problems were revealed in early 2024 when a door plug panel blew ​out of a nearly new Alaska Air 737 MAX in flight.

The FAA said in the airworthiness ‌directive ⁠proposal that it received a report that some passenger seat assemblies were not correctly installed in the seat tracks.

That meant the assemblies could disengage from the seat tracks if there was an increased load, turbulence or an emergency landing, the FAA said.

There ​could be up to ​69 track-mounted passenger ⁠seat assemblies on each 737 MAX plane, and the issue would take an estimated one work hour to inspect and then ​an hour to fix each assembly and required no parts, the ​FAA said. ⁠Airlines might be able to have multiple employees inspecting seats simultaneously, greatly reducing the total time for each aircraft.

It did not say how quickly airlines would need to correct ⁠the ​issue.

A Boeing spokesperson said the planemaker issued guidance to ​operators about the issue in December 2025.

"We support the FAA making that guidance mandatory," the spokesperson said in ​an email.

Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jamie Freed

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

SiriusXM Holdings (SIRI +4.76%) has been one of the quiet winners within the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio thus far in 2026, with the stock price up 54% as of this writing.

That price run-up, however, may have many wondering if there's still upside for Sirius. It's expected to report its 2026 second-quarter earnings on July 30, so we'll see an update soon that could determine the stock's short-term direction.

Image source: Getty Images.

What to look for in earnings Sirius has become a mature business, so in its earnings reports, the total number of paid subscribers is less important than it used to be. Instead, it's more important to look at free cash flow, if capital expenditures are decreasing as expected, and if full-year guidance is reaffirmed or even boosted.

In April, however, something intriguing was announced that could have a longer-term impact on the stock price than anything likely to be reported on July 30.

Becoming a hub for audio advertisers As mentioned above, looking at paid subscriber counts is less important because there isn't any growth happening. In fact, Sirius lost 111,000 self-pay subscribers (someone paying for a subscription themselves or an automaker that is paying for the subscription for three years or longer) in the first quarter of 2026, an improvement from the 192,000 it lost in the prior year.

Sirius is, however, finding diversified revenue growth opportunities that can offset those subscriber losses, one of which is in handling the advertising for other companies.

In April, SiriusXM announced a partnership with YouTube to manage its audio ads in the U.S. While YouTube, owned by parent company Alphabet, is known for its video content, it also offers audio-first content, including music, talk shows, and podcasts. Sirius will manage the process of placing advertisers in those formats for YouTube through SiriusXM Media and the tech platform AdsWizz, which Sirius also owns.

The direct benefit for Sirius is that it will generate revenue from the deal for handling the audio ad process, which is expected to start in the fall. But Sirius may also see a boost in its own advertising sales from companies that may first want audio ad space on YouTube but then want to expand their reach by placing ads on Sirius stations and the Sirius-owned Pandora platform.

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A business shift that could offer lasting results Despite the recent stock price climb, SiriusXM shares are still down nearly 50% over the last five years. A more competitive entertainment streaming landscape has weighed on the stock, and as we saw in the first quarter of 2026, the company is still losing paying listeners.

That's why the YouTube agreement is so promising, as it can open the door to other audio ad management deals and help Sirius not be so reliant on adding paying subscribers for revenue growth. In announcing the arrangement with YouTube, Sirius wrote: "The landmark partnership with YouTube highlights SiriusXM's commitment to an open, partner-first audio advertising ecosystem, continuing to connect advertisers to premium audio content wherever audiences choose to listen.

The July 30 earnings report may determine what happens to Sirius stock over the next few days or weeks. But if Sirius executes on becoming the go-to source for managing audio ad placements and that creates meaningful revenue growth, it can help it continue to dig itself out of the stock price losses it has experienced over the last five years.

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 27, 2026 5:00 PM EDT

Company Participants

Richard Gu - Vice President of Investor Relations
Anirudh Devgan - CEO, President & Director
John Wall - Senior VP & CFO

Conference Call Participants

Joseph Quatrochi - Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Research Division
Joseph Vruwink - Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Research Division
Vivek Arya - BofA Securities, Research Division
Sitikantha Panigrahi - Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Research Division
James Schneider - Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division
Harlan Sur - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division
Yu Shi - Needham & Company, LLC, Research Division
Lee Simpson - Morgan Stanley, Research Division
Jason Celino - KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Research Division
Gianmarco Conti - Deutsche Bank AG, Research Division
Ruben Roy - Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Research Division
Wei Chia - Citigroup Inc., Research Division
Jay Vleeschhouwer - Griffin Securities, Inc., Research Division
Joshua Tilton - Wolfe Research, LLC
Gary Mobley

Presentation

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. My name is Abby, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Cadence Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Thank you.

And I will now turn the call over to Richard Gu, Vice President of Investor Relations for Cadence. Please go ahead.

Richard Gu
Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you, operator. I would like to welcome everyone to our second quarter of 2026 earnings conference call. I'm joined today by Anirudh Devgan, President and Chief Executive Officer; and John Wall, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. The webcast of this call and a copy of today's prepared remarks will be available on our website, cadence.com.

Today's discussion will contain forward-looking statements, including our outlook on future business and operating results. Due to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those projected

Amkor Technology, Inc. (AMKR) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 27, 2026 5:00 PM EDT

Company Participants

Jennifer Jue - Vice President of Investor Relations & Finance
Kevin Engel - CEO, President & Director
Megan Faust - Executive VP, CFO & Treasurer

Conference Call Participants

Randy Abrams - UBS Investment Bank, Research Division
Craig Ellis - B. Riley Securities, Inc., Research Division
Benjamin Reitzes - Melius Research LLC
Denis Pyatchanin - Needham & Company, LLC, Research Division
Steve Barger - KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Amkor Technology Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. My name is Diego, and I will be your conference facilitator today. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the call over to Jennifer Jue, Head of Investor Relations. Ms. Jue, please go ahead.

Jennifer Jue
Vice President of Investor Relations & Finance

Good afternoon, and welcome to Amkor's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Joining me today are CEO Kevin Engel and CFO Megan Faust. Our earnings press release was filed with the SEC this afternoon and is available on the Investor Relations page of our website along with the presentation slides that accompany today's call. During this presentation, we will use non-GAAP financial measures, and you can find reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measures in the slides. We will make forward-looking statements today based on our current beliefs, assumptions, and expectations. Please refer to our press release for a disclaimer on forward-looking statements and our SEC filings for a discussion on the risk factors and uncertainties that may affect our future results. I will now turn the call over to Kevin.

Kevin Engel
CEO, President & Director

Thank you, Jennifer. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining. Amkor delivered a strong quarter, achieving Second

Principal Financial (PFG - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.5 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.33 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.16 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +7.30%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this financial services company would post earnings of $2.01 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.07, delivering a surprise of +2.99%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times.

Principal Financial, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Multi line industry, posted revenues of $3.99 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.89%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $3.69 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Principal Financial shares have added about 24% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.3%.

What's Next for Principal Financial?While Principal Financial has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Principal Financial was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $2.49 on $4.22 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $9.45 on $16.3 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Insurance - Multi line is currently in the bottom 29% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (EQH - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 4.

This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.66 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +50.9%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 2.2% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.

Equitable Holdings, Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $3.8 billion, down 0% from the year-ago quarter.

Element Solutions (ESI - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.47 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.43 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.37 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +9.30%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this specialty chemical and printing products would post earnings of $0.38 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.41, delivering a surprise of +7.89%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Element Solutions, which belongs to the Zacks Chemical - Specialty industry, posted revenues of $977.9 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11.47%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $625.2 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Element Solutions shares have added about 49.8% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.3%.

What's Next for Element Solutions?While Element Solutions has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Element Solutions was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.46 on $912.05 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.79 on $3.54 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Chemical - Specialty is currently in the top 34% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Celanese (CE - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 4.

This chemical company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.21 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +53.5%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.9% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.

Celanese's revenues are expected to be $2.65 billion, up 4.8% from the year-ago quarter.

Brixmor Property (BRX - Free Report) reported $354.2 million in revenue for the quarter ended June 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 4.3%. EPS of $0.58 for the same period compares to $0.28 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $351.93 million, representing a surprise of +0.65%. The company has not delivered EPS surprise, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.58.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Brixmor performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Revenues- Other revenues: $0.31 million compared to the $0.32 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +223.2% year over year.Revenues- Rental income: $353.89 million compared to the $353.07 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +4.3% year over year.Income (loss) attributable to common stockholders- Diluted: $0.24 compared to the $0.25 average estimate based on two analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for Brixmor here>>>

Shares of Brixmor have remained unchanged over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

Navitas Semiconductor Corporation (NVTS - Free Report) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.04 per share in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. This compares to a loss of $0.05 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post a loss of $0.05 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.04, delivering a surprise of +20%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once.

Navitas Semiconductor, which belongs to the Zacks Electronics - Semiconductors industry, posted revenues of $10.53 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.82%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $14.49 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Navitas Semiconductor shares have added about 52.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.3%.

What's Next for Navitas Semiconductor?While Navitas Semiconductor has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Navitas Semiconductor was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.04 on $11.38 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$0.17 on $42.85 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Electronics - Semiconductors is currently in the top 26% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Qualcomm (QCOM - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on July 29.

This chipmaker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.22 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -19.9%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.

Qualcomm's revenues are expected to be $9.71 billion, down 6.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Microsoft (MSFT +1.95%) told investors back in April what this year would cost. The software giant expects about $190 billion of capital expenditures in calendar 2026, up 61% from 2025, as it races to build the data centers its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) businesses demand. Chief financial officer Amy Hood added a detail that made the number sting a bit more: about $25 billion of it simply reflects higher component prices, as memory and storage costs surge across the industry.

On Wednesday, July 29, Microsoft reports results for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year. The report is the next test of the bargain underneath all that spending -- whether demand for Azure, the cloud business at the center of this build-out, keeps growing fast enough to pay for it.

So far, it has. Here's a closer look at both sides of the ledger heading into Wednesday's report.

Image source: Getty Images.

What $190 billion commits Microsoft to The number deserves some sizing. In its fiscal third quarter of 2026 (ended March 31, 2026), Microsoft's capital expenditures, including finance leases, were $31.9 billion, up 49% year over year. Management guided for over $40 billion in the quarter it reports Wednesday.

And the calendar-year plan of about $190 billion works out to well over half of the revenue the company's current pace implies for a full year.

The component-price detail deserves its own mention, too. About $25 billion of Microsoft's 2026 outlay buys no additional capacity. It just covers the higher cost of parts -- the memory and storage whose prices have surged across the industry since last fall. For a company spending at this scale, supply chain inflation is now, in essence, in its own right.

Of course, capital spending doesn't stay on the balance sheet forever. As data centers come online, depreciation flows into the income statement and can weigh on margins for years to come. The more Microsoft spends today, the more earnings its cloud business has to deliver tomorrow just to stand still.

Today's Change

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7.45

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389.15

The number that has to keep up Now, for the demand side, which is the reason the spending hasn't spooked me yet.

Azure and other cloud services revenue rose 40% year over year in fiscal Q3, or 39% in constant currency -- an acceleration from 38% constant-currency growth in fiscal Q2. And management guided for 39% to 40% constant-currency growth again in fiscal Q4. A business already at enormous scale is still speeding up, not slowing down.

Even more, supply remains the bottleneck, not demand. Hood said in April that the company expects "to remain constrained at least through 2026." Microsoft's AI business, meanwhile, has reached an annual revenue run rate of $37 billion, up 123% year over year.

Profits are absorbing the spending so far, as well. Fiscal third-quarter revenue climbed 18% year over year to $82.9 billion, with Microsoft Cloud accounting for $54.5 billion of it, up 29%. Operating income increased 20% to $38.4 billion, while earnings per share jumped 23% to $4.27. This isn't a company sacrificing its bottom line to fund a build-out. At least not yet.

For the fiscal fourth quarter, management guided for revenue of $86.7 billion to $87.8 billion, which implies 13% to 15% year-over-year growth. The headline numbers will come first, but Azure's growth rate and the capacity commentary around it may matter more for how the stock reacts.

That combination is what makes Wednesday's report a genuine test. If Azure grows at or above the guided range and management still describes demand outrunning supply, the $190 billion keeps looking like capacity the market has already spoken for. But if Azure slips below the high-30s while spending accelerates, the margin math starts to tighten, and the stock could get repriced quickly.

The stock, for its part, gives investors more room than it did a year ago. Shares closed Friday at $381.70, down about 31% from their 52-week high of $555.45, and they trade at about 23 times earnings. Given 18% revenue growth and 23% earnings-per-share growth, that multiple arguably doesn't demand perfection -- a rare thing among the big AI spenders.

So, I like the stock. Of course, my view would change if Azure's constant-currency growth slipped meaningfully below the guided range while capital spending kept climbing. Short of that, Microsoft's $190 billion looks less like a gamble on future demand and more like a bill for demand it already has.

In the latest close session, Walmart (WMT - Free Report) was up +2.07% at $111.74. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.02%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.51%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.18%.

Heading into today, shares of the world's largest retailer had lost 5.38% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 1.33% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.77%.

The upcoming earnings release of Walmart will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on August 20, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.74, reflecting a 8.82% increase from the same quarter last year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $186.4 billion, up 5.07% from the year-ago period.

In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $2.89 per share and a revenue of $750.01 billion, indicating changes of +9.47% and +5.17%, respectively, from the former year.

Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Walmart. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been no change in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Right now, Walmart possesses a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Investors should also note Walmart's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 37.9. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 14.2.

Also, we should mention that WMT has a PEG ratio of 4.08. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Retail - Supermarkets industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.02.

The Retail - Supermarkets industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 223, putting it in the bottom 10% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.

In the latest close session, Caterpillar (CAT - Free Report) was down 1.74% at $873.28. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.02%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.51%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 0.18%.

Heading into today, shares of the construction equipment company had lost 10.9% over the past month, lagging the Industrial Products sector's loss of 1.06% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.77%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Caterpillar in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on August 4, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $6.25, marking a 32.42% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $19.31 billion, indicating a 16.56% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $24.87 per share and a revenue of $77.17 billion, representing changes of +30.48% and +14.18%, respectively, from the prior year.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Caterpillar. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.91% higher. Caterpillar is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

With respect to valuation, Caterpillar is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 35.74. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 15.73, so one might conclude that Caterpillar is trading at a premium comparatively.

We can also see that CAT currently has a PEG ratio of 1.74. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.58.

The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry is part of the Industrial Products sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 178, finds itself in the bottom 28% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.

Kraft Heinz's new lactose-free Philadelphia cream cheese targets the 30 to 50 million Americans who are lactose intolerant and one of the company's big strategic moves.

Courtesy Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz spent two years, and refused to charge a premium, solving a problem most of the food industry ignores: an estimated 30 to 50 million Americans who love cream cheese but cannot digest lactose. The result is a lactose-free version of Philadelphia cream cheese that costs exactly what the original does, contains no added preservatives, flavors or dyes, and tastes like real dairy cream. The launch is just one of the first visible outputs of a broader $600 million investment the company is making under new leadership.

Kraft Heinz Strategic Direction Under New LeadershipWhen CEO Steve Cahillane took the helm of Kraft Heinz in January 2026, the company posted its fiscal 2025 year-end results with a 3.5% sales decline. Still, the company made bold commitments to invest in U.S. operations and future innovation. Recently appointed to a new role, Jerome Drolet, President of Taste Elevation for Kraft Heinz, is excited about the roadmap for the company.

“We talk about $600 million worth of investment in the business. It's marketing, it's R&D, it's people, and all that is going toward fueling that growth. It's giving me an immense amount of confidence that we can be successful again, being consumer centric, but supporting that with the right levels of resources and investments,” said Drolet in an exclusive interview.

Two things excite Drolet most about his new role: his personal connection to the brands, rooted in backyard barbecues with his dad growing up, and the challenge of helping his team evolve as fast as consumer preferences shift, without losing focus on the consumer across a large, global business. “This combination is what makes the job both difficult and super interesting.”

Jerome Drolet, President of Taste Elevation at Kraft Heinz, is leading the company's $600 million push into consumer-driven innovation.

Courtesy Kraft Heinz

MORE FOR YOU

Two Years to Get Lactose-Free RightThe company revealed one of its first products to market, backed by substantial research and development behind the scenes. The new lactose-free Philadelphia cream cheese targets millions of Americans who are lactose intolerant, as well as, a wider group of consumers who avoid lactose by choice. The global market for lactose-free dairy products is projected to grow from $10.6 billion in 2017 to $17.8 billion by 2027. Drolet explained that Kraft Heinz starts every innovation effort by studying why consumers leave or avoid a category. Once the company decides to invest in a specific product category based on shifting consumer diets, it works to bring a new product to market that meets Kraft Heinz's standards for quality, taste and price. “We don't want to put a product to market that's just an innovation for the sake of innovation,” said Drolet.

Kraft Heinz took two years to bring lactose-free Philadelphia cream cheese to market, a timeline Drolet attributes to a refusal to compromise on taste, texture, or price. “We're launching a product that tastes the same, looks the same, but also costs the same. There's no price premium to this it's making sure that we are democratizing the cream cheese consumption within the lactose intolerant consumer,” explained Drolet. Part of the two-year development process is testing the product.

Early this year, Kraft Heinz introduced JELL-O Simply, made with no FD&C Colors or artificial sweeteners as consumer demand for simpler ingredients continues to grow across market.

Courtesy Kraft Heinz

“We can sit in our Illinois Innovation Center and feel really good about the product in the kitchen, but until you put it to the test of how consumers actually use it like in a cream cheese recipe, not just on its own, you don't know if it holds up. A lot of the work was making sure that across every usage occasion; the product was a true one-for-one substitution. We tested it internally and externally, in our kitchen and in consumers' kitchens, across multiple recipes. That's what takes the time, but it's also why we're so proud of the product we're launching,” explained Drolet. The process that produced lactose-free Philadelphia is the same one applied across Heinz, Jell-O, and the rest of the portfolio.

Where the Innovation Dollars GoLarger brands like Philadelphia and Heinz command the biggest share of innovation investment, reflecting their scale and category weight. But smaller, more agile brands such as Grey Poupon, Lea & Perrins, Smart Ones, and Velveeta still receive purposeful innovation dollars when the opportunity fits, rather than being starved in favor of the flagship names. Drolet believes, “The brand choices are the last question. It starts first with the consumer.”

Balancing shifting consumer eating habits with new product development is a constant consideration. “As the consumer palate and needs are changing, we want to be there with them along for the journey,” said Drolet. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans report following a specific diet in the past year, a rising trend since 2018, according to a survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC).

Retail partners are another consideration when bringing new products to market. “The process keeps us disciplined. There's a need for us to think about it from an internal resource perspective, but it's also pushing us to make the right decision, not just for ourselves and the consumers, but for what's accretive for retailers,” explains Drolet.

Why Some Trends Don't Make the CutThat discipline shows up in how the company distinguishes between ideas that look similar on the surface. Lactose-free and plant-based cream cheese, for instance, appear to serve the same dietary-restriction need, but Drolet's team treats them as distinct consumer needs: taste-and-texture loyalists managing a specific dietary limitation versus consumers avoiding dairy altogether. “Conflating the two would mean building the wrong product for both groups,” said Drolet.

Consumer Trends Kraft Heinz Is Betting OnThe IFIC survey reports the top diets Americans follow are high protein (23%) and mindful eating (19%), with clean eating (13%) ranking fifth. Drolet pointed to several forces he expects to shape the next five years of the business. Simple ingredients are one, reflected in products like Simply Ketchup. Fiber is emerging as a follow-on to protein's rise in consumer attention. Diet and weight-management shifts tied to GLP-1 medications are already showing up in zero-sugar Jell-O and ketchup.

Extending Trust Instead of Building New BrandsRather than following the consumer packaged goods industry’s habit traditional CPG habit of spinning up new brands to chase emerging trends, Kraft Heinz is focused on extending the trust and scale of the brands it already has. “You already have the trust with consumers, you already have a preferred product, and you already have the scale. Consumers don't want to compromise,” said Drolet. The consumer, not the brand roster, always drives the first decision, a philosophy that runs through every example Drolet raised, from cream cheese to condiments.

Kraft Heinz Bets On Consumer Emotional ConnectivityKraft Heinz's calculation is that lactose-free Philadelphia isn't really a cream cheese story, but a preview of how the company intends to spend the next several years of its $600 million innovation budget. Sugar comes out of Jell-O, ingredients get simplified in Simply Ketchup, and dips get built around chicken's rise as the protein of choice. All of these decisions run through the same funnel: identify why consumers are opting out, then ask which existing brand has the credibility to bring them back in. “There's something around real passion and emotional connectivity with our business, the products, and the brands,” expressed Drolet. The wager is simple: Kraft Heinz is betting that consumers will follow a name they already trust into new categories faster than they'll adopt one they've never seen before.

Vancouver, BC, July 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deep Sea Minerals Corp. (CSE: SEAS) (OTCQB: DSEAF) (FSE: X450) (“Deep Sea” or the “Company”) announces that, as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission (“BCSC”) in connection with the Company’s short form base shelf prospectus, we are issuing the following press release related to our disclosure and promotional activities.

Various promotions disseminated from February 26 to July 10, 2026, pursuant to the Company’s engagements with Capital Gain Media Inc., Exvera Communications Inc., Global One Media Group Pte. Ltd., Investor News Inc. (“Investor News”), Stockhouse Publishing Ltd. D.B.A. The Market Link (“Market Link”) and The Wall Street Analyst, LLC referenced one or more of the following topics. Investors are directed to the Company's amended and restated annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2025, dated July 27, 2026 (the “A&R AIF”), a copy of which is available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca, for comprehensive information relating to the matters described below, including the material assumptions, regulatory milestones, risks, uncertainties, costs, and operational requirements associated with each topic:

(i)

The Company's NOAA Application. The Company’s news release dated June 1, 2026, disclosed that the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) determined that the Company’s application for an exploration licence for a defined area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean (the “NOAA Application”) under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (the “DSHMRA”) was in substantial compliance with applicable U.S. regulatory requirements. The NOAA Application is an application by the Company’s wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, American Deep Sea Minerals Corp., for an exploration licence covering approximately 147,430 km² in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. On May 26, 2026, NOAA determined the NOAA Application to be in substantial compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. On July 17, 2026, the Company submitted an amended application that it believes fully addresses NOAA's supplemental information requests. A substantial compliance determination is not a licence or any other authorization to commence offshore work. Before NOAA may issue an exploration licence, the NOAA Application remains subject to a full compliance determination, federal-agency consultation, antitrust review, a public comment period, certification, and preparation of a draft and final environmental impact statement and public hearings. See “Current Business” (including the milestone table) and “The Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development Industry – (b) Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development in International Waters” in the A&R AIF for further details.

(ii)

The Company’s Cook Islands Application. The Company has incorporated a wholly owned Cook Islands subsidiary, Deep Sea Minerals (Cook Islands) Limited, to advance an application for an exploration licence in the exclusive economic zone of the Cook Islands (the “Cook Islands Application” and, together with the NOAA Application, the “Applications”). The Company has not yet formally submitted the Cook Islands Application. The Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (“CISBMA”) has indicated that it does not presently intend to accept further formal exploration licence applications until after the forthcoming Cook Islands election and parliament reconvenes and approves additional designated parcel blocks and areas for licensing. If and when submitted, the Cook Islands Application will be subject to a multi-step assessment process involving CISBMA, an independent licensing panel, the responsible minister, and Cabinet approval. See “Current Business” (including the milestone table) and “The Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development Industry – (c) Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development in Exclusive Economic Zones” in the A&R AIF for further details.

(iii)

The Company’s expectations regarding the timing of obtaining one or more subsea mineral exploration licences. Based on currently available information, the Company expects to submit the Cook Islands Application between Q3 2026 and Q1 2027, and anticipates that NOAA may issue an exploration licence in the range of Q4 2027, subject to completion of all required regulatory steps. These are estimates only and are subject to significant uncertainty. Actual timing will depend on, among other things, the outcome of NOAA's full compliance review, required environmental review and public processes, the timing of the Cook Islands election and government transition, and the availability of a licensing process in the Cook Islands. There can be no assurance that either Application will be approved, or that any exploration licence will be issued on acceptable terms or at all. See “Current Business” (including the milestone table), “Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors”, and “Risk Factors” in the A&R AIF for further details.

(iv)

The Company’s intended future offshore operations. The Company does not currently hold any mineral rights or operating authority in any exclusive economic zone or international waters and has not commenced offshore operations. Offshore operations cannot proceed unless and until the Company obtains the applicable exploration licences and all required operational, vessel, safety, environmental, monitoring, and reporting approvals. The Company does not own and does not currently intend to own proprietary subsea mining technology or specialized marine equipment, and expects to rely on qualified third-party technology providers, marine contractors, and independent environmental and scientific consultants for any future offshore work. Revenue from commercial production, if ever achieved, may take up to an additional 10 years following the granting of concessions by host jurisdictions. See “Current Business”, “The Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development Industry – (b) Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development in International Waters”, “The Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development Industry – (c) Subsea Mineral Exploration and Development in Exclusive Economic Zones”, “Economic Dependence”, “Foreign Operations”, and “Risk Factors” in the A&R AIF for further details.

Additionally, various promotions were disseminated for or on behalf of the Company from February 26 to July 10, 2026, that may not have clearly or conspicuously disclosed that such promotions were disseminated for or on behalf of the Company. Some of these promotions omitted a fact necessary to make a particular statement or information not false or misleading, or otherwise included unsubstantiated statements. As a result, investors should assume that all disclosure about the Company during the period from February 26, 2026, to July 10, 2026, other than the Company’s continuous disclosure record available under the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at

www.sedarplus.ca, omitted a fact necessary to make a particular statement or information not false or misleading, or otherwise included unsubstantiated statements. In particular, each of the following statements, and statements similar thereto, among others, omitted a fact necessary to make it not false or misleading, or otherwise was unsubstantiated:

Statements that the Company is one of only a few public companies to have received a substantial compliance determination from NOAA regarding an application under NOAA's regulatory regime for subsea mineral rights in international waters. Statements relating to the projected demand for critical minerals attributed to the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) but which did not provide the specific underlying sources. Statements relating to historical pricing of copper, cobalt and other critical minerals but which did not provide the specific underlying sources. Statements indicating a three to five year timeframe for the Company to deliver its first cargo of polymetallic nodules were forward-looking and did not adequately identify the material assumptions and uncertainties underlying that timeframe. Statements indicating that The Metals Company Inc. (“TMC”) is currently the furthest ahead in the exploration efforts, having recently been approved for a licence by NOAA. Statements relating to the presence of 21 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (“CCZ”) and 6.7 billion tonnes in the Cook Islands EEZ or otherwise including quantitative resource estimates contained in CCZ and Cook Islands’ EEZ but which did not provide the specific underlying sources. Statements that include quantitative resource estimates that were attributed to the United States Geological Survey (“USGS”) and a congressional study without identifying the specific underlying sources. Statements that the U.S. may soon authorize companies to commercially mine the seabed. At the request of the BCSC, the Company wishes to clarify such statements, as follows:

The Company’s belief that it is one of only a few publicly traded companies to have received a substantial compliance determination from NOAA regarding an application under NOAA’s regulatory regime for subsea mineral rights in international waters. The Company based this belief on public filings in Canada and the United States. However, public companies in other jurisdictions, or public companies in Canada and the United States for which a substantial compliance determination would not constitute a material fact or change requiring disclosure under applicable law, may have also submitted applications to NOAA for subsea mineral rights that NOAA has determined to be in substantial compliance. Statements relating to the projected demand for critical minerals attributed to the IEA should have referenced the IEA’s report entitled “Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024”.1 Statements relating to historical prices for copper, cobalt and other critical minerals were based on publicly available commodity price data published by Trading Economics, including the historical price charts and data available for the applicable commodities.2 NOAA has not granted TMC an exploration licence or a commercial recovery permit. TMC’s combined application for an exploration licence and commercial recovery permit has been certified by NOAA as substantially compliant and remains subject to additional regulatory review and approvals.3 Quantitative resource estimates in the CCZ, whether or not attributed to the USGS, were obtained from the USGS.4 Quantitative resource estimates in the Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone were obtained from a report entitled “Cook Islands Polymetallic Nodule Deposit” with an effective date of March 22, 2023, prepared for the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority.5 Statements relating to the authorization of commercial seabed mining operations in international waters by the United States were made based on the Company’s analysis of recent regulatory and policy developments by the United States. The Company wishes to clarify that no commercial recovery permits have been granted under the NOAA regime. Investors are strongly encouraged to review the A&R AIF for comprehensive information relating to the Company, including the Company’s material assumptions underlying its expectations and other forward-looking information, and the significant uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ materially.

Furthermore, the following promotions have been disseminated on behalf of the Company: (i) a video entitled “Deep Sea Minerals: Why Seabed Mining Is Now an Investable Sector” and dated April 28, 2026 (the “Market Link Video”), pursuant to the Company’s engagement of Market Link, which was disclosed in the Company’s news release of April 1, 2026; (ii) a video entitled “Deep Sea Minerals ($SEAS | $DSEAF): The Emerging Commercial Reality of Seabed Mining” and dated April 30, 2026 (the “Global One Video”), pursuant to the Company’s engagement of Global One, which was disclosed in the Company’s news release of January 23, 2026; (iii) a public investor interview titled “Deep Sea Minerals’ James Deckelman on the Next Critical Minerals Frontier” and dated May 1, 2026 (the “Investor News Video #1” and, together with the Market Link Video and Global One Video, the “Videos”), pursuant to the Company’s engagement of Investor News; and (iv) a public investor interview entitled “James Deckelman on Deep Sea Minerals and the Strategic Push Into Seabed Critical Minerals” and dated March 3, 2026 (the “Investor News Video #2”), pursuant to the Company’s engagement with Investor News. Following a review by the BCSC and, at its request, the Company has: (i) instructed the relevant service providers to remove the Videos; and (ii) instructed Investor News to update the written description of the Investor News Video #2.

ABOUT DEEP SEA MINERALS CORP.

Deep Sea Minerals Corp. is a subsea mineral exploration and development company focused on evaluating opportunities to support the future supply of critical minerals through the acquisition, exploration, and development of deep-sea mineral assets.

The Company’s strategy is centered on identifying jurisdictions and geological settings with potential exposure to polymetallic nodule systems, which are recognized for containing combinations of metals that may be relevant to defense, industrial manufacturing, clean energy infrastructure, advanced electronics, and artificial intelligence-related supply chains. These seabed resources represent a largely undeveloped component of the global mineral supply base and are the subject of increasing policy, scientific, and regulatory attention worldwide.

As part of this process, the Company is advancing an application for an exploration licence under the NOAA regime for an area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, and has commenced early-stage engagement with other select governments and regulatory bodies in the Pacific Ocean region to assess potential pathways for future exploration initiatives, subject to applicable international, national, and environmental frameworks.

For further information, please see the A&R AIF, a copy of which is available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Website: https://www.deepseamineralscorp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deepseacorp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepseacorp
X: https://x.com/deepseacorp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepseacorp
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deepseacorp

For further information, please contact:

James Deckelman
Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 1-281-467-1279
Email: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) that relate to the Company’s current expectations and views of future events. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may”, “might”, “will”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend”, “plan”, “indicate”, “seek”, “believe”, “predict” or “likely”, or the negative or grammatical variations of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include such words. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business, prospects and financial needs. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements about: the Company’s plans and strategies, including the potential acquisition of subsea mineral exploration or exploitation rights; the Company's expectation that its amended NOAA Application fully addresses NOAA's supplemental information requests; the anticipated timing of a full compliance determination by NOAA and the anticipated timing of issuance of an exploration licence under the NOAA regime; the Company's expectation to submit the Cook Islands Application between Q3 2026 and Q1 2027; the anticipated timing of obtaining one or more subsea mineral exploration licences; the Company's intended future offshore operations and its expectation to rely on qualified third-party technology providers, marine contractors, and independent environmental and scientific consultants; and the potential timeline to revenue from commercial production.

This forward-looking information and other forward-looking information are based on our opinions, estimates and assumptions in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we currently believe are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. Despite a careful process to prepare and review the forward-looking information, there can be no assurance that the underlying opinions, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Material factors underlying forward-looking information and management’s expectations include certain assumptions in respect of, among other things: favourability of operating conditions; the receipt of necessary third party approvals, licences or permits on favourable terms; the result of any potential legal, regulatory or geopolitical conflict resulting from the United States asserting governance of subsea mineral exploration and development in international waters under the DSHMRA; the continued cooperation and alignment of national interests between the United States and the Cook Islands; the Cook Islands’ intention to grant mining licenses in the future; the availability of equipment; the availability of qualified vessel operators and marine contractors; our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms; currency exchange and interest rates; the impact of competition; the changes and trends in our industry and the global economy; changes in laws, rules, regulations and global standards; our ability to build our market share; our ability to retain key personnel; transaction opportunities, exploration potential, and precious metals prices; the sufficiency of the Company's amended NOAA Application, submitted on July 17, 2026, in responding to the requests for supplemental information in NOAA's notice to the Company dated May 26, 2026; that NOAA will require no further information from the Company in order to determine the NOAA Application is in full compliance with applicable regulatory requirements; that the federal-agency consultation, antitrust review, public-comment, certification, environmental-review and hearing processes applicable to the NOAA Application will proceed generally in accordance with the indicative regulatory periods described in the A&R AIF; that NOAA will not identify material deficiencies relating to the Company's financial responsibility, technical capability, proposed exploration plan, environmental information, proposed licence area or other regulatory requirements that the Company is unable to address; that a licensing process or invitation will be available under the Cook Islands seabed minerals regime on terms allowing the Company to submit the Cook Islands Application; that the Company will be able to complete the technical, financial, environmental, corporate and work-program materials required for the Cook Islands Application within its anticipated timeframe; that the Company will be able to demonstrate access to sufficient financial resources, technical expertise, vessels, equipment, contractors and environmental capabilities to satisfy the applicable NOAA and Cook Islands regulatory requirements; that the Company will obtain sufficient financing to fund the regulatory, environmental, technical and offshore activities contemplated by its NOAA and Cook Islands work programs when required; that the Cook Islands election process and any related government transition will be completed without material delay; that following the election, the Cook Islands authorities will designate additional parcel blocks or areas for subsea mineral exploration and exploitation; and that there will be no material change in Cook Islands policy, legislation, licensing criteria or regulatory priorities following the election.

The forward-looking information in this news release is necessarily based on a number of opinions, estimates and assumptions that we considered appropriate and reasonable as of the date of the A&R AIF. It is also subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to the risk factors and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” in the A&R AIF, as well as risks related to the highly speculative nature of the Company’s business;  risks related to subsea mineral exploration and development operations; risks related to the Company’s limited business history and no history of earnings; risks related to the availability of future financing and the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; risks related to the Company’s exploration and development activities on the mineral properties; uncertainties regarding the grade and quality of polymetallic nodules; uncertainties regarding the commercial collection of polymetallic nodules; negative perceptions regarding the collection of polymetallic nodules; pressure and lobbying by non-governmental organizations; uncertainties regarding our future reliance on strategic partnerships; uncertainties regarding technology required for our business; uncertainties regarding the treatment and processing of polymetallic nodules; natural hazards and seasonality; expropriation of potential future operating equipment or assets; technological obsolescence; the Company’s dependence on key personnel; risks related to foreign operations; risks related to acquisitions and integration; changes in laws and regulations; risks related to competition; fluctuations in prices of critical minerals, base and precious metals, other commodities and natural resources; legal and litigation risks; uncertainty and volatility related to stock market prices and conditions; dilution of the interests of shareholders; risks related to geopolitical disputes; risks related to the Company’s officers and directors becoming associated with other natural resource companies, which may give rise to conflicts of interest; risks related to climate change; and risks related to pandemics, epidemics or other health crises. With respect to the specific matters addressed in this news release, additional risks and uncertainties include: the risk that NOAA will not determine the NOAA Application to be in full compliance, will not preserve the Company's priority of right, or will not issue an exploration licence on acceptable terms or at all; the risk that the Cook Islands Application will not be submitted within the anticipated timeframe, will not be accepted as complete, or will not be approved; the risk that the Cook Islands election process or government transition will be delayed or result in material changes to Cook Islands seabed minerals policy, legislation or licensing criteria; the risk that the Company will be unable to demonstrate sufficient financial resources, technical expertise, vessels, equipment, contractors or environmental capabilities to satisfy applicable regulatory requirements; the risk that the Company will be unable to obtain sufficient financing to fund its planned regulatory, environmental, technical and offshore activities; and the risk that the Company's intended offshore operations will be delayed or prevented by regulatory, operational, environmental, financial or other factors. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the opinions, estimates or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results or future events might vary materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. The risks, uncertainties, opinions, estimates and assumptions referred to above and described in greater detail under “Risk Factors” in the A&R AIF should be considered carefully by readers.

Although we have attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other risk factors not presently known to us or that we presently believe are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date of this news release. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents our expectations as of the date of this news release (or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made), and is subject to change after such date. We disclaim any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable Canadian securities legislation.

1 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2024
2 Trading Economics, “Copper – Price – Chart – Historical Data – News,” available at: https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/copper; and “Cobalt – Price – Chart – Historical Data – News,” available at: https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/cobalt
3 https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-certifies-tmc-usas-usa-b-exploration-license-application
4 https://www.usgs.gov/publications/deep-ocean-polymetallic-nodules-and-cobalt-rich-ferromanganese-crusts-global-ocean-new
5 www.sbma.gov.ck/s/CIMinRscRevt_final_b.pdf