McDonald’s Q1 results come in above Wall Street estimates

McDonald’s rose in premarket trading after it reported earnings results that came in above Wall Street expectations.

For the first three months of 2026, the fast-food giant reported:

$6.51 billion in revenue, compared to the $6.47 billion analysts polled by FactSet were expecting.
Same-store sales growth of 3.8%, compared to the 3.7% growth analysts were penciling in. US same-store sales grew 3.9%, above the 3.7% that was expected, driven by higher spending per visit.
Adjusted earnings per share of $2.83, compared to the $2.75 the Street was expecting.

CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company was able to deliver the sales beat “even in a challenging environment” thanks in part to its value meals and marketing campaigns. It also saw sales growth in international stores.

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Matt Phillips & Helena Cheng42m

Vistra rises after reporting better-than-expected Q1 numbers

Power provider Vistra, a key AI energy trade, reported better-than-expected results early Thursday, sending shares up in premarket trading.

The Texas-based company, which supplies nuclear energy, natural gas, and coal-fueled power to wholesale and retail markets, reported:

Net income of $1.029 billion (including a massive $723 million unrealized gain from hedges expected to settle in future years) vs. Wall Street expectations for $434.2 million.
Adjusted EBITDA of $1.49 billion vs. expectations for $1.44 billion, per FactSet.
Revenue of $5.6 billion vs. an estimated $5.1 billion, per Bloomberg.

Vistra reaffirmed its 2026 Ongoing Operations Adjusted EBITDA guidance range of $6.8 billion to $7.6 billion and Ongoing Operations Adjusted Free Cash Flow before Growth range of $3.925 billion to $4.725 billion.

The company’s shares soared 258% in 2024 amid a flurry of excitement over the AI energy boom. Last year was more muted, with the stock rising 17%. So far in 2026, shares were down roughly 4% through yesterday’s close.

Helena Cheng55m

Peloton jumps on surprisingly strong Q3 cash flow generation, boost to outlook

Peloton shares are jumping in premarket trading after the company reported a modest Q3 sales beat while generating surprisingly strong cash flows.

The key numbers:

Revenue of $630.9 million (compared to analyst estimates of $617.6 million).
Adjusted EBITDA of $126.2 million (estimate: $128.7 million).
Free cash flow of $150.5 million (estimate: $54.2 million).

For full-year 2026, Peloton nudged up its revenue guidance to a range of $2.42 billion to $2.44 billion, and also boosted its adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow outlooks.

Peloton has spent the last few years working through the aftermath of its pandemic-era hardware boom. The company announced a series of product updates last year in October featuring updated cross-training bikes and treadmills that include AI-powered form tracking and stronger processors.

Under CEO Peter Stern, the company is pivoting toward new growth levers by renewing efforts to expand content distribution and reach commercial markets. This includes the launch of the Peloton Commercial Series for high-use environments, which helped drive a 14% year-over-year increase in commercial business revenue.

A pillar of this strategy is its global partnership with Spotify. By integrating over 1,400 on-demand Peloton fitness classes into a new “Fitness” hub for Spotify Premium members, the company aims to reach new audiences outside its own hardware ecosystem.

Helena Cheng2h

Blue Owl Capital Corp. falls after cutting its dividend

Blue Owl Capital Corp. reported lower-than-expected total investment income in Q1 and declared a dividend of $0.31 per share, down from an announced $0.37 in Q4.

Shares are down nearly 4% in premarket trading.

The business development company managed by Blue Owl Capital is front and center when it comes to worries about private credit, an asset class that’s faced a surge in redemption requests as investors worry about deteriorating loan quality.

This report follows Blue Owl Capital’s results last week, in which the firm highlighted strong fee-related earnings and continued capital commitments — effectively, that other parts of its business were more than offsetting any conniptions in private credit. Executives sought to downplay the redemption concerns, describing the recent waves as more “headline driven, not fundamental driven.”

Nonetheless, sentiment toward the asset class remains fragile. Brown University announced last Friday that it is cutting its stake in OBDC by roughly 53%, slashing exposure to one of Blue Owl’s flagship listed credit vehicles even as it maintained holdings in the parent manager.

Hyunsoo Rim4h

DoorDash jumps on better-than-expected Q1 earnings, Q2 order outlook

DoorDash is up more than 10% in premarket trading Thursday after the delivery company beat Q1 earnings estimates and gave a stronger-than-expected Q2 gross order value outlook.

While revenue in the first quarter jumped 33% year on year to $4.04 billion, falling short of analysts estimates of $4.14 billion, earnings per share came in at $0.42 to top the $0.36 estimate. Gross order value — the total dollar value of all orders completed on the platform — rose 37% to $31.6 billion, also above the $31.5 billion expected.

DoorDash said order growth was driven mainly by its consumer base growing, plus a boost from its acquisition of the British delivery app Deliveroo, which is “seeing the highest growth rates it has in the past four years,” CEO Tony Xu said on yesterday’s earnings call.

The second quarter is “off to a good start” with strong demand, CFO Ravi Inukonda said, and DoorDash now forecasts gross order value of $32.4 billion to $33.4 billion, ahead of analyst estimates of $32.43 billion at the midpoint. The company also expects $770 million to $870 million in adjusted EBITDA, with the midpoint falling short of the $830 million expected. DoorDash cited more than $50 million in expected costs from its driver gas relief program amid the Iran war-driven surge in oil and gas prices, though it plans to offset at least some of that by “adjusting investment in other areas,” per the statement.

Doordash continues to invest heavily in AI tools and newer categories like electronics, apparel, and auto parts, as well as restaurant reservation features through SevenRooms, which it acquired last year.

J. Edward Moreno4h

Snap ends Perplexity deal, says advertising business took a hit from “geopolitical headwinds” in Q1

Snap is down some 10% in premarket trading after saying it ended an AI deal and reporting first-quarter earnings results that hit estimates but suggested cracks in its advertising business.

Snap reported $1.26 billion in advertising revenue for the first quarter, which was a hair under the $1.27 billion analysts polled by FactSet were penciling in, and included a “$20 to $25 million impact from the geopolitical headwinds in the Middle East experienced during March.”

It reported $1.53 billion in total revenue for the first quarter, which was in line with estimates, and $0.10 adjusted earnings per share — broadly in line with expectations. Subscriptions, while still a relatively small chunk of revenue, are fueling the company’s sales growth as its advertising business stagnates.

The company told investors it expects revenue in the second quarter to land between $1.52 billion and $1.55 billion, also in line with analysts’ estimates, but warned “large advertisers in North America remained a headwind.” That guidance also assumes no contribution from its $400 million deal with Perplexity, which it announced in November and said has now ended “amicably.”

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