ABB Orders Jump 40% as Hasbro and Equifax Outlooks Diverge
Key Facts
ABB's orders jumped 40% year on year in the third quarter of 2026, while annual outlooks diverged at Hasbro and Equifax, according to the companies' quarterly earnings announcements. Hasbro raised its expected full-year constant-currency revenue growth range to 7-9%, revising its estimates upward as it reported results. The company had previously expected constant-currency growth of 5-7%, according to its financial statement. By contrast, Equifax lowered the midpoint of its full-year revenue forecast to $6.661 billion, attributing the revision to a decline in U.S. mortgage-related revenue. Equifax cut its annual estimates despite growth in quarterly revenue, while MSCI reported increases in revenue and adjusted earnings over the same period.
ABB's total orders in the third quarter reached $12,055 million, according to its statement, with strong demand from the data center sector among the drivers of the quarterly increase. The company singled out the sector in its discussion of demand, saying in its earnings statement: "Most notably in the data center sector." On sales, it posted quarterly revenue of $9,701 million, up 14% from the same period a year earlier. Revenue thus grew at a slower annual pace than orders over the same period. Operational earnings before interest, taxes and amortization of intangible assets, the company's operating measure, totaled $2,026 million. Basic earnings per share were $0.65 in the third quarter.
At Equifax, third-quarter 2026 revenue totaled about $1.693 billion, according to the company's earnings announcement. That represented a 10% year-on-year increase, alongside the pressures management described in its mortgage business. Adjusted earnings per share were $2.26 for the quarter, according to the measure reported in its financial statement. Management attributed weakness in the mortgage market during the latter half of the quarter to a sharp rise in mortgage interest rates. The company said the weakness came "as mortgage interest rates rose significantly," the factor it cited to explain the market's performance during that period. On cash returns to shareholders, the company returned $158 million during the quarter through share repurchases and quarterly dividends.
Hasbro reported a 15% year-on-year increase in quarterly revenue, with releases of "Magic: The Gathering" contributing to growth in the game's business. The company identified "The Hobbit" and "Reality Fracture" sets as supporting that growth in its third-quarter 2026 results. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were about $2.90, according to the company's earnings statement. Quarterly results included about $55 million in tariff refunds, alongside the business performance Hasbro reported. The company included those refunds in results for the same period that saw revenue increase and its annual constant-currency growth forecast range rise.
MSCI reported quarterly operating revenue of $892.0 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to its earnings statement. Revenue rose 12.4% from the same quarter a year earlier, with growth in asset-based fees. Adjusted earnings per share were about $5.11 for the period, according to the company's reported results. Adjusted earnings per share increased 14.3% year on year, outpacing growth in quarterly operating revenue. Meanwhile, the operating margin was 56.3%, compared with 56.4% in the third quarter of 2025, marking a slight decline despite higher revenue and adjusted earnings.
Behind MSCI's business growth, the company pointed to record assets in exchange-traded funds linked to its indexes as a driver of performance. It described the factor in its statement as "record assets in exchange-traded funds linked to MSCI indexes." Asset-based fees rose 24.9% year on year during the third quarter, according to figures released by the company. Growth in those fees exceeded the increase in total operating revenue over the same period, while assets in index-linked funds remained among the drivers the company cited. MSCI scheduled its fourth-quarter 2026 earnings call for January 26, 2027, at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time, according to its investor relations website.