5 Early Earnings Winners Setting the Pace in Q2

Earnings season for Q2 is in full swing, and many prominent players like Google, Tesla, and Intel have already moved markets with their reports.

But now every earnings release garners a cult following, and several impressive reports may have slipped through the cracks if you aren’t paying close attention.

Today, we’ll look at 5 stocks that just posted solid earnings to little fanfare, which means there may still be time to harness the upside potential of these companies.

CME Group Inc.

CME Group (NASDAQ: CME ) is one of the largest U.S. market makers, earning fees on trading its options and futures derivatives on exchanges such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

CME’s most profitable quarters tend to come when volatility is elevated, and market participants are hedging risk, taking chances, or just trading more than typical.

And according to CEO Terry Duffy, CME Group just completed one of the best six-month periods in its history.

The company beat EPS and revenue estimates during its Q2 earnings report on July 22, and was led by near-record Q2 trading volumes.

Adjusted operating margin came in at an industry-best 72.8%, and market data revenue jumped 20% to $238 million.

The stock popped 5% following the earnings release, putting pressure on the resistance level at the 50-day moving average.

CME shares have often faded at this mark during its multi-month drawdown, but now other technical indicators are turning bullish.

Both the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) have demonstrated classic reversal patterns in the last few weeks, and the RSI is now back above 50 for the first time since May.

At just 22 times forward earnings, CME shares are still cheap compared to peers, so this rally could just be getting started.

AT&T Inc.

AT&T (NYSE: T ) reported earnings on July 22nd, and investors are finally starting to see signs of its new strategy working.

The company surpassed EPS estimates and missed slightly on sales expectations, but it was subscriber growth numbers that led the rally.

AT&T added 432K phone subscribers and 646K internet subscribers in Q2, both figures surpassing expectations.

And, even more importantly, its wireless churn rate was below 1% during a quarter when the company raised rates.

Postpaid phone and home internet customers are frequently coming from the same households, which was a key management goal.

The company’s Q2 results have proven this convergence strategy correct: it reduces churn and increases revenue.

The stock only jumped 3% after the report, but this was enough to press above the 50-day moving average for the first time since April.

Before the release, a bullish cross on the MACD hinted that a positive catalyst was coming, and the post-earnings move pushed the RSI above 50 into bullish territory.

General Motors Co.

Tesla may have floundered after earnings, but not every American car company fared so poorly.

GM (NYSE: GM ) posted an impressive top and bottom-line earnings beat on July 21, beating EPS projections by 12% and revenue projections by 2%.

EPS grew more than 40% year-over-year (YoY), and the company now commands 42% of the U.S. full-size pickup truck market.

Next-gen Sierra and Silverado models are expected to hit dealerships before the end of the year, adding to profitability projections.

Management raised its full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $12 to $14 per share and its free cash flow guidance to $9.5 billion to $11.5 billion.

The stock received 7 price target boosts from analysts following the report, including a new Street-high $132 target from TD Cowen.

A $132 price target represents nearly 40% upside from current levels.

You likely sense a recurring theme on these charts.

Like CME and T, GM shares are challenging a former resistance level at the 50-day moving average.

But the 2-day post-earnings pop has cleared this bar, and now we turn to the RSI and MACD.

The RSI is approaching the overbought threshold of 70 but remains in bullish territory, and the MACD has completely flipped momentum to the upside.

3M Corp.

Not long ago, 3M Corp. (NYSE: MMM ) was left for dead amongst the large-cap industrials.