Wall Street closes the books on a brutal Thursday, July 23, 2026 session. The Dow shed 506.93 points (-0.97%) to 51,711.65. The S&P 500 dropped 1.21% to 7,408.30. And the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.15% to 25,137.69 after disappointing prints from Alphabet and Tesla collided with Brent crude spiking past $102 a barrel on Middle East tanker attacks. Friday, July 24 brings a fresh wave of catalysts: a packed pre-market earnings slate, an Intel after-hours surge to digest, and lingering geopolitical risk. Here are the 10 stocks to watch tomorrow.
1. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC)
- Reported Q2 2026 results after Thursday’s close: revenue of $16.13 billion (+25% YoY) versus $14.42 billion expected, and adjusted EPS of $0.42 versus roughly $0.21 consensus — one of Intel’s biggest beats in years.
- Shares spiked as much as 12% in extended trading, changing hands near $110 as investors cheered accelerating data-center demand.
- Q3 guidance came in strong too: revenue of $15.8–$16.8 billion, ahead of the $15.10 billion Street estimate.
- Why it’s trending: Intel stock is already up roughly 170% year-to-date on 18A foundry progress and AI-driven server demand; Friday’s regular session will show whether the after-hours pop holds.
- Catalyst: 18A yield improvements (now around 85%), new Google Cloud AI tie-up, and the first external CSP foundry commitment.
2. American Express Company (NYSE: AXP)
- Reports Q2 2026 results before Friday’s open. Consensus: EPS of $4.40 on revenue of $19.70 billion, based on a panel of 24 Wall Street analysts projecting continued year-over-year growth.
- The company has topped EPS estimates in three of its last four quarters.
- Why watch it: Card-member spending trends and credit-loss data will be a read-through for consumer health just as recession chatter resurfaces on oil-driven inflation fears.
3. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE)
- Reports before the bell Friday. Consensus EPS of roughly $1.10–$1.11 on revenue near $8.15–$8.17 billion, implying more than 21% year-over-year revenue growth.
- Stock has traded in the high-$80s to $90 range recently, well off its 52-week high of $97.88.
- Catalyst: Updates on the proposed $66.8 billion Dominion Energy combination and progress on its multi-gigawatt data-center power backlog will be closely parsed, with analysts flagging strong AI-driven data-center demand and continued renewable investment as the key themes heading into the print.
4. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)
- Reports before market open. Shares closed near $44.29, up 3.41% over the past week but still down 6.21% over the past 90 days.
- The telecom giant is restructuring, including the sale of 274 company-run stores and workforce reductions, while pushing new devices like the Gizmo Watch 4.
- Why it’s trending: Investors want clarity on subscriber trends and whether cost cuts are translating into margin improvement; some models put fair value near $50.50.
5. Schlumberger Limited (NYSE: SLB)
- The oilfield-services giant reports Friday morning with consensus pointing to a roughly 31% year-over-year EPS decline, even as crude prices have ripped higher this week.
- Stock has recently traded in the mid-$40s, well below its 52-week high near $62.
- Catalyst: With Brent crude surging past $100 on Houthi tanker attacks and Strait of Hormuz tensions, traders want to know whether SLB’s international drilling activity is finally catching a bid.
6. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
- Thursday’s blowout quarter — adjusted EPS of $7.94 versus roughly $7.23 expected, revenue of $20.1 billion, and a record $230.4 billion backlog — sent shares up nearly 11% to close near $570.
- Management raised full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $29.95–$30.65 and revenue guidance to $79.75–$81.75 billion.
- Why watch it Friday: Follow-through buying (or profit-taking) after a double-digit percentage move is always worth tracking, especially with a fresh $35 billion THAAD interceptor contract in the backlog.
7. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF)
- Shares jumped as much as 18% Thursday after Q2 adjusted EBITDA nearly tripled to $286 million from $95 million in Q1, with management guiding to roughly $575 million in Q3 EBITDA.
- A new five-year, sole-source Defense Logistics Agency contract worth up to $400 million for grain-oriented electrical steel added fuel.
- Fundamentals: Free cash flow turned positive; Wall Street remains split, with JPMorgan and BofA trimming price targets to the $10–$11.50 range even as the stock has rallied.
8. Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR)
- Reports before Friday’s open alongside a busy cable and broadband earnings slate.
- Why it matters: Broadband subscriber losses have pressured cable names all year; investors will watch churn trends and any commentary on convergence bundling and free-cash-flow guidance.
9. HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: HCA)
- Also reporting before Friday’s bell. As a defensive healthcare name, HCA could see rotation interest given Thursday’s broad risk-off tone in tech.
- Catalyst: Admissions volume, labor-cost trends, and payer mix will be the key metrics after a mixed hospital-sector earnings season so far.
10. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (NYSE: BAH)
- Reports Friday morning. The government and defense consulting firm sits directly in the path of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget request and the House-passed $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill.
- Why it’s trending: With Lockheed and RTX both flagging accelerating Pentagon restocking demand this week, investors want to see if BAH’s federal consulting backlog is capturing similar tailwinds.
What to Watch Heading Into Friday’s Session
- Oil: Brent crude near $100–$102 a barrel after Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers. Any de-escalation headline could reverse energy and defense strength fast.
- Rates: The 10-year Treasury yield has pushed above 4.70%, pressuring growth stocks broadly.
- Earnings volume: Friday, July 24 carries roughly 47 S&P 500 and mid-cap earnings reports, per Yahoo Finance’s earnings calendar. Making it one of the busiest single sessions left in the Q2 reporting season.
Traders should expect another volatile session as geopolitical headlines out of the Middle East compete for attention with a dense earnings slate. Positioning ahead of the open, watching pre-market volume, and tracking oil-price swings will matter as much as the individual print in each name above.
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Disclaimer: This publication is entirely for informational and journalistic purposes and does not constitute formal financial, investment, or legal advice. All market investments carry inherent risks of capital loss. Always complete independent due diligence prior to executing equity trades.
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