We’re only two days into the week and it already feels like it should be the weekend. In the last two days, Meta (META) said it will raise $95 billion to support its AI development through stock offerings, and Anthropic (ANTH.PVT) released a 407-page IPO prospectus that I know you haven’t read in its entirety. (Wall Street hasn’t either, so don’t lose sleep over it.) Lost in that activity is that earnings season continues in full swing, with results from Coca-Cola (KO), Hilton (HLT), UPS (UPS), Whirlpool (WHR) and others today. While investors are excited about artificial intelligence and the return of some stability to tech trading, keep an eye on earnings season: after all, it’s earnings and earnings expectations that drive stocks, not Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei (although his comments have moved markets in the past). So here are some quick shots of a couple of earnings reports I read this morning: The Consumer Travel Read I have no problem with Hilton this quarter, even though the stock is suffering from a slight revenue loss. The important metric of revenue per available room grew 5.8%, the company remains an aggressive buyer of its shares and approved the development of 30,500 rooms in the quarter. The report fits nicely with the Delta (DAL) report we received last week, in that higher fuel prices do not appear to be slowing down leisure or business travelers. I think it also fits very well with UPS’s current numbers, with US sales up 4.5% and their full-year guidance increase. Hilton Hotel sign on the exterior of the building and at the lobby entrance in Manhattan, New York. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) · UCG via Getty Images Big Food Battles Coca-Cola’s latest forecast hike reinforces the view that the company continues to take huge market share from rival PepsiCo (PEP). Coca-Cola Zero sales increased by 16%. It’s not a good day for the PepsiCo team in Purchase, New York. A weak housing market is hurting appliance sales. I remain absolutely amazed by what is happening at Whirlpool (WHR). Another super smooth quarter, with an adjusted loss of $0.21 per share. Costs have risen and business is being hurt by a nearly frozen U.S. housing market. You need nerves of steel to buy Whirlpool stock here – the stock is down more than 63% this year. If it does, the thesis has to be that the iconic company will be acquired at some point in the next 12 months. Follow Brian Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram and LinkedIn. Story tips? Email him at brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
