Markets

S&P 500 Companies Report Strong 4th-Quarter Earnings

Healthy earnings have helped the S&P 500 achieve its highest annual fourth-quarter growth rate in three years.
S&P 500 Companies Report Strong 4th-Quarter Earnings
Stock market data are displayed at the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on Jan. 24, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Panos Mourdoukoutas
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Most S&P 500 companies have reported strong earnings per share (EPS) for the current earnings season, beating market expectations by a large margin, according to FactSet, which monitors the 2024 fourth-quarter earnings reporting season, with more than three quarters of companies having issued their reports.

As of Feb. 14, 77 percent of the S&P 500 member companies have released earnings reports for the fourth quarter of 2024. Of these companies, 76 percent have reported actual EPS above estimates, below the five-year average of 77 percent but above the 10-year average of 75 percent.

Panos Mourdoukoutas
Panos Mourdoukoutas
Author
Panos Mourdoukoutas is a professor of economics at Long Island University in New York City. He also teaches security analysis at Columbia University. He’s been published in professional journals and magazines, including Forbes, Investopedia, Barron's, IBT, and Journal of Financial Research. He’s also the author of many books, including “Business Strategy in a Semiglobal Economy” and “China's Challenge.”