The U.S. stock market witnessed a divergent performance on Friday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 300 points, reflecting ongoing market volatility. However, this overall downward trend contrasted markedly with the trajectories of several large-cap companies whose shares appreciably advanced following the release of quarterly earnings reports that exceeded market forecasts.
Leading the pack, Charter Communications Inc (NASDAQ: CHTR) saw its shares gain 10.6%, closing at $211.72. This appreciable increase followed the company’s announcement of fourth-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $10.34, outperforming the analyst consensus estimate of $9.90. Despite this earnings beat, Charter reported a 2.3% year-over-year decline in quarterly revenue to $13.60 billion, falling short of the anticipated $13.74 billion consensus estimate.
Moving beyond Charter, several other corporations posted remarkable stock price advances related to positive earnings revelations. Robert Half Inc (NYSE: RHI) experienced a 23.6% jump, reaching $33.50 per share after surpassing predicted quarterly financial outcomes. Similarly, AXT Inc (NASDAQ: AXTI) increased 19.7%, closing at $19.61, and Deckers Outdoor Corp (NYSE: DECK) appreciated 15% to $114.95. Notably, Deckers not only reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter results but also raised its fiscal year 2026 guidance above analyst estimates, further bolstering investor sentiment.
SanDisk Corp (NASDAQ: SNDK) also contributed to the list of gainers with a 13.2% rise to $610.70 after delivering better-than-forecasted second-quarter results and issuing higher third-quarter guidance. Applied Optoelectronics Inc (NASDAQ: AAOI) climbed 12.5% to $44.55, while Uniti Group Inc (NASDAQ: UNIT) rose 11% to $8.34; notably, Uniti has scheduled its fourth-quarter report for release ahead of the open on March 2.
Oppenheimer Holdings Inc (NYSE: OPY) followed with a 10.4% gain, closing at $84.06, after releasing its fourth-quarter earnings. Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) grew 9.1% to $43.44, supported by strong fourth-quarter results and forward guidance projections extending to 2026. Destiny Tech100 Inc (NYSE: DXYZ) and Credit Acceptance Corp (NASDAQ: CACC) likewise saw their shares increase by 8.8% and 7.6%, respectively, with Credit Acceptance reporting quarterly results surpassing expectations.
Additionally, Lumentum Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LITE) and TTM Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: TTMI) experienced gains of 6.5% and 5.4%, respectively. Air Products and Chemicals Inc (NYSE: APD) finished 4.5% higher at $267.53 after also posting quarterly earnings that outperformed analyst forecasts.
Among the most pronounced movements was TechCreate Group Ltd (NYSE: TCGL), which surged an extraordinary 171.3% to $234.25. However, the company stated on Thursday that it is unaware of any material nonpublic information that could justify such volatility, responding to an inquiry issued prior to the market open.
Overall, despite the broad market’s downward pressure, these individual corporate performances underline the potential for robust company-specific drivers, such as earnings beats and elevated guidance, to foster substantial stock price appreciation amidst broader negative market sentiment.