S&P rises 0.3% as earnings roll in, SpaceX results loom
Key Facts
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% in Tuesday's session on October 20, 2026, according to the Associated Press, as companies reported earnings and issued guidance. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, ended the session down less than 0.1%, the agency reported, diverging from the broader index. 3M was among the gainers, rising 5.8% after reporting earnings that beat analysts' expectations. In oil markets, Brent crude futures fell 0.7% to $108.79 a barrel, according to the Associated Press. Crude declined after erasing gains made early in the session.
3M said in its third-quarter earnings statement that its adjusted operating margin reached 26.2%. That represented an increase of 110 basis points from the same period a year earlier, according to the company's statement. The company's adjusted sales exclude manufactured per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance products, according to the definition in its earnings disclosure. The company also updated its presentation of adjusted profitability measures to treat amortization of intangible assets as a special item excluded from the calculation. It restated results for comparative periods on the same basis, applying the change to prior figures used for comparison with the reported quarter's results.
Equifax reported adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.26 for the third quarter of 2026, according to its earnings statement. That compared with $2.04 a share in the corresponding quarter a year earlier, an increase of 11%. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margin improved to 33.1%, from 32.7% a year earlier. In Hasbro's results, revenue from "Magic: The Gathering" exceeded $600 million in a single quarter for the first time, according to the company's statement. Hasbro attributed the game's revenue growth to the "The Hobbit" and "Reality Fracture" releases. Hasbro's adjusted earnings per share were $2.90 in the third quarter, according to the same disclosure.
General Motors reported quarterly revenue of $50.0 billion, according to its earnings filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company raised its forecast for adjusted automotive free cash flow in 2026 to a range of $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion. The previous range was $9.5 billion to $11.5 billion, according to the full-year guidance table accompanying the filing. The company also revised its full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share range to $12.75 to $13.75. That compared with a previous range of $12.00 to $14.00, raising the lower end of the forecast and lowering the upper end.
On operations, General Motors expects lower-than-normal internal combustion vehicle volumes in North America during the fourth quarter, according to its earnings call transcript published by Investing.com. The company said this was "primarily due to the launch of our new full-size trucks," linking the expected decline to the product launch. Also in the automotive sector, Tesla said it delivered more than 486,000 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, according to its production and deliveries statement. For SpaceX, analyst estimates cited by Charles Schwab put third-quarter earnings per share at $0.13. The same estimates projected revenue of $12.7 billion for the period.
SpaceX scheduled the release of its third-quarter financial and operating results for after the market close on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, according to its investor announcement. The audio webcast to discuss the results begins at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the same day. The company faces the expiration of a major lockup period shortly after the earnings announcement, according to Charles Schwab. The expiration allows early investors to sell their shares, the firm said. The following day, Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Tesla will report its third-quarter financial results after the market close, according to the schedule set out in its statement.