Reuters: 84% of S&P 500 Companies Beat Q2 Earnings Estimates

For Q1 2026 to date, 84% of S&P 500 companies reported actual EPS above the mean EPS estimate, according to FactSet. A parallel read from LSEG shows that, of the 440 companies that had reported by May 8, 83.2% topped analyst expectations (LSEG/I/B/E/S).

By May 21, FactSet’s Earnings Insight noted that 94% of index members had reported results for Q1 2026, with earnings in aggregate coming in 16.6% above expectations (FactSet PDF). The combination of a high beat rate and a sizeable aggregate surprise underscores how estimates were surpassed late into the season.

Data Snapshot

MetricCurrentPreviousChangePeriodAs ofSourcePercentage of S&P 500 companies reporting actual EPS above the mean EPS estimate84%——Q1 2026 (to date)2026-05-11FactSet — Market Is Punishing Negative EPS Surprises More Than Average for Q1Share of S&P 500 companies that had reported actual results94%——Q1 2026 (to date)2026-05-21FactSet — Earnings Insight (EarningsInsight_052126.pdf)Aggregate earnings surprise (earnings above estimates)16.6% above expectations——Q1 2026 (to date)2026-05-21FactSet — Earnings Insight (EarningsInsight_052126.pdf)Share of reporting S&P 500 companies that topped analyst expectations (LSEG/I/B/E/S)83.2%——26Q1 (to May 8, 2026)2026-05-08LSEG / Refinitiv — This Week in Earnings 26Q1 | May 8, 2026

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