The first-quarter earnings season has been sensational. Many companies knocked it out of the park when delivering earnings and revenue numbers that well beyond expectations. With reports now in from about 96% of S&P 500 companies, earnings have climbed a staggering 29% from last quarter. Information Technology, up 56%, and Communication Services, up 51%, have led the pack. At the bottom are Healthcare, down 3%, and Energy, down 1%. With earnings season essentially over, we have had a chance to look at trends. In particular, we watch for companies that raised guidance as we view that action as a likely catalyst for market-beating returns in the quarters ahead. It's even harder for companies to raise guidance during uncertain economic times, as vision is murky. The following is a partial list of companies in Argus' Fundamental Universe of Coverage where management raised its outlook during the 1Q26 reporting season.

Sustainable Impact Investing is gaining traction not only with Argus Research clients but also with the global investment community. As assets have flowed in over the past 40 years, Sustainable Investing has evolved. The discipline, originally known as Socially Responsible Investing, first focused on excluding companies that conducted business in South Africa, or participated in industries such as tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. In time, the list of industries to avoid increased to include soft drinks, fast food, and oil and gas, among numerous others. Performance of initial strategies lagged, and the approach has been modified. Now, instead of merely identifying industries to avoid, the discipline promotes "sustainable" business practices across all industries that can have an "impact" on global issues such as climate, hunger, poverty, disease, shelter, and workers' rights. Given the strategy's focus on leading management practices, we expect the growth curve for Sustainable Investing to again slope upward in the years ahead.

Johnson & Johnson is a diversified global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets products in two business segments: Innovative Medicine (formerly Pharmaceuticals) and MedTech.

Stocks are a mixed bag at midday on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 0.4%, but the Nasdaq up 0.9% and the S&P 500 higher by 0.3%. Stocks are trading on a host of news today, much of which is earnings related, as financial companies begin to report Q1 results. There are a lot of headlines in the air. The war in Iran and the still-holding ceasefire are at the top of the list. Wall Street is clearly weighing the prospects of renewed truce conversations following President Trump's remark that the war is 'close to over.' Crude oil is down sharply from last week levels and is now at about $92 per barrel.