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Learn the stock market › Read an earnings report › Lesson 7 of 7

The earnings calendar

Short answerMost companies report four times a year, and the reports bunch into four earnings seasons: January–February, April–May, July–August and October–November. Of 478 reports from the largest US companies since 2020, 21% came in October–November. The median report came 28 days after the quarter ended.

Four seasons a year

A US company files a quarterly report on Form 10-Q for each of the first three quarters of its fiscal year and an annual report on Form 10-K for the year. Because most companies use the calendar year, their reports arrive at the same time. The table counts 478 reports from the largest US companies since 2020.

MonthsThe report usually coversShare
January–Februarythe fourth quarter and full year21%
April–Maythe first quarter22%
July–Augustthe second quarter21%
October–Novemberthe third quarter21%
Other monthscompanies with another fiscal year14%

The fourth-quarter report, which comes with the full year, usually arrives in January or February. Companies whose fiscal year ends in another month, such as January or August, report in other months.

How long after the quarter

The median report came 28 days after the quarter ended. The fastest last time was Oracle, after 10 days. A report can come before the market opens or after it closes, and then the reaction shows when trading starts.

Next report

The table shows the next report date for 20 of the largest US companies, with how many days after the quarter's end each reported last time. First up is Berkshire Hathaway on Nov 7, 2026.

CompanyNext reportDays after the quarter
Berkshire HathawayNov 7, 202639
NvidiaNov 17, 202626
WalmartNov 19, 2026–
BroadcomDec 9, 202633
CostcoDec 10, 202624
OracleDec 14, 202610
JPMorgan ChaseJan 14, 202713
NetflixJan 19, 202720
VisaJan 26, 202727
MetaJan 27, 202721
MicrosoftJan 27, 202728
TeslaJan 27, 202721
AppleJan 28, 202733
MastercardJan 28, 202729
Exxon MobilJan 29, 202730
PalantirFeb 1, 202733
AMDFeb 2, 202734
AlphabetFeb 3, 202728
Eli LillyFeb 3, 202729
AmazonFeb 4, 202729

A date can move, and the company's own investor relations page has the last word. Many stocks move more than usual in a report week, see the earnings day study, and the first lesson shows what to read first when the report arrives.

Test yourself

A company's fiscal year is the calendar year. When will its second-quarter report, for April to June, most likely come?

Sources