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Tuesday gave us one of those market sessions where the closing bell was just the opening act. The Nasdaq climbed 0.67% to 23,025.59, the S&P 500 advanced 0.9% to 6,765.88, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.43% to 47,112.45. But the real entertainment started when earnings reports hit after hours, and boy, did investors have opinions.
Here's what had retail traders and investors glued to their screens throughout the day.
Dell Technologies (DELL) closed down 1.03% at $125.92, trading in a range between $123.05 and $127.12. The stock's 52-week range sits at $66.25 to $168.08. But then came the earnings report, and shares popped 3.1% to $129.87 in after-hours trading.
The company posted third-quarter revenue of $27.01 billion, which technically missed estimates, but here's where things get interesting. Adjusted earnings came in at $2.59 per share, beating expectations. Revenue grew 11% year-over-year, powered by a massive 37% jump in servers and networking revenue to $10.1 billion. Storage and consumer segments declined, but apparently nobody cared about that when they saw the AI numbers.
Michael Dell's company generated $1.2 billion in operating cash flow and dropped the headline number everyone was waiting for: record AI server orders of $12.3 billion for the quarter. That's real money from real customers, not just AI hype talk.
Dell raised both its fourth-quarter and full-year outlooks, projecting fourth-quarter revenue of up to $32 billion and full-year revenue between $111.2 billion and $112.2 billion. The AI infrastructure buildout is very much alive, and Dell is cashing in.
Kohl's Corp. (KSS) shares absolutely exploded, surging 42.26% to $22.42. The stock hit an intraday peak of $22.46 and a low of $19.37, with a 52-week range spanning $6.04 to $22.46. That high? Yeah, it just happened today.
The department store chain named interim chief Michael Bender as its permanent CEO, marking the company's third leadership change in three years. The previous CEO was shown the door over improper dealings with a vendor, which is never a great look. But Bender, a longtime retail executive, has overseen a sharp rebound in the stock since May as the company attempts to revive sales.
The timing was strategic, coming right before third-quarter results hit. Kohl's reported net sales of $3.4 billion, down 2.8% year-over-year, with comparable sales falling 1.7% and earnings per share coming in at just $0.07. Gross margin improved by 51 basis points, a small win, while operating income dropped to $73 million from $98 million last year.
Despite the declining sales, Kohl's raised its full-year outlook, pointing to stronger cash flow of $124 million and a 5% reduction in inventory. Sometimes in retail, not getting worse counts as progress, and investors clearly saw enough to like.
Zscaler Inc. (ZS) closed up 3.35% at $289.73, trading between $278.07 and $291.80. The 52-week range is $164.78 to $336.99. Then came the earnings report, and the stock plunged 7.99% to $267 in after-hours trading.
Here's the confusing part: Zscaler absolutely beat first-quarter expectations with revenue of $788.1 million and earnings per share of 96 cents. Deferred revenue rose 32% to $2.35 billion, and Annual Recurring Revenue surpassed $3.2 billion with 25% growth. The company even raised its fiscal 2026 EPS and revenue guidance.
So why did shares fall nearly 8% after hours? Welcome to the wonderful world of "beat and retreat," where good results aren't good enough if they're not spectacular enough. Sometimes the market wants perfection, and anything less triggers profit-taking, especially in high-flying cloud security stocks.
Workday Inc. (WDAY) shares increased 3.11% during regular trading to $233.69, reaching a high of $236.80 and a low of $225.80. The stock's 52-week range is $205.33 to $294. But in after-hours trading, shares slipped nearly 6.2% to $219.25.
Workday beat third-quarter estimates with revenue of $2.43 billion and earnings per share of $2.32, supported by strong demand in its subscription business. Subscription revenue rose 14.6% to $2.24 billion, while its 12-month backlog grew 17.6% to $8.21 billion. Those are solid numbers for an enterprise software company.
The company highlighted momentum in its AI portfolio, but shares dipped after an initial jump following the report. Like Zscaler, Workday fell victim to the high expectations game. Beat the numbers, raise guidance, watch your stock fall anyway. It's a tale as old as earnings season.
Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) climbed 1.58% to $294.43 during regular trading, with a high of $297.67 and a low of $287.08. The 52-week range is $232.67 to $329.09. Then the stock jumped 6.14% to $312.50 in extended trading, because this is what happens when you beat expectations and raise guidance convincingly.
Autodesk posted strong third-quarter results, with revenue up 18% to $1.85 billion and adjusted earnings per share rising to $2.67, both ahead of expectations. The company lifted full-year earnings guidance to $10.18-$10.25 per share and projected fourth-quarter revenue of up to $1.92 billion.
The design software company said AI-driven automation is helping fuel demand and support its subscription-focused model. When you're selling tools that help architects, engineers, and designers work faster with AI, that's a pretty good place to be right now.
According to stock rankings, Autodesk scores in the 83rd percentile for Growth, which makes sense given these results. The combination of steady subscription revenue, growing AI adoption, and raised guidance was exactly what investors wanted to hear.
The lesson from Tuesday's earnings parade? Beating expectations isn't always enough, but when you combine strong results with credible growth drivers like AI infrastructure or subscription momentum, investors will reward you. Just ask Dell and Autodesk. Or ask Zscaler and Workday about the flip side of that coin.
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