Stock Markets February 26, 2026

Premarket Movers: Nvidia Edges Up as Salesforce Slides; Food and Beverage Stocks Rally

Mixed earnings reaction sends futures slightly lower as investors weigh corporate results across tech, media and consumer sectors

By Ajmal Hussain NVDA CRM WBD SJM VST
Premarket Movers: Nvidia Edges Up as Salesforce Slides; Food and Beverage Stocks Rally
NVDA CRM WBD SJM VST

U.S. stock futures ticked down modestly as investors absorbed a batch of quarterly results. Nvidia beat expectations and guided above estimates, lifting its shares, while Salesforce cut its fiscal 2027 revenue outlook below forecasts, sending its stock lower. Media, consumer packaged goods, energy and beverage companies posted a range of outcomes, driving notable premarket moves.

Key Points

  • Nvidia beat quarterly earnings and guided above current-quarter revenue expectations, lifting the stock 1.5% despite concerns about shareholder returns.
  • Salesforce cut its fiscal 2027 revenue projection below estimates, prompting a 3% premarket decline and signaling potential softness in enterprise software demand.
  • Consumer-facing companies and energy names posted strong results or progress on strategic plans, with JM Smucker, Krispy Kreme, Celsius and Vistra Energy all moving higher.

U.S. stock futures opened marginally lower Thursday, with traders parsing a heavy slate of corporate earnings that included results from Nvidia and a host of companies across media, software and consumer sectors.

Here are the most notable premarket price movements and the company-reported reasons behind them:

  • Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) - Shares rose 1.5% after the chip maker posted quarterly earnings that beat expectations and provided current-quarter revenue guidance above analyst estimates. The results bolstered the company’s market-leading position in AI-related hardware, though the report also prompted some investor concern over the pace of shareholder returns.
  • Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) - The cloud software provider’s stock fell 3% after it issued a fiscal 2027 revenue forecast that came in below analyst estimates. The company’s weaker-than-expected top-line outlook was cited as evidence that demand for enterprise-facing software may be under pressure as customers tighten budgets amid economic uncertainty.
  • Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) - Shares in the entertainment company edged up 0.1% in premarket trading. The firm reported a 6% decline in quarterly revenue, driven by slower traditional TV and film results, even as its HBO Max streaming service added subscribers. The stock’s slight gain came despite the top-line contraction and ongoing takeover interest.
  • JM Smucker (NYSE:SJM) - The packaged-food maker jumped 6.5% after reporting third-quarter results that topped expectations. Management, however, narrowed the full-year sales outlook following a fire at one of its manufacturing facilities, a development that trims near-term sales visibility.
  • Vistra Energy (NYSE:VST) - The power company rose 1.5% after releasing full-year results described as strong, with growth linked to its nuclear portfolio expansion and improved retail margins.
  • Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) - The donut chain surged 15% after reporting fourth-quarter results that exceeded forecasts, the company framing the quarter as progress in its turnaround efforts.
  • Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ:CELH) - The energy-drink maker climbed 9.5% after posting fourth-quarter revenue that beat expectations, attributing part of the growth to recent acquisitions including Alani Nu and Rockstar Energy.
  • The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) - Shares dropped sharply, falling 14% after the ad-technology company issued a first-quarter revenue forecast below estimates, suggesting heightened competitive pressure from larger rivals.
  • C3.ai (NYSE:AI) - The enterprise AI software provider fell 24% after forecasting current-quarter sales below expectations and announcing a workforce reduction of 26% globally.

Overall, the premarket landscape reflected a bifurcated response to earnings: several consumer and energy names rallied on beats and strategic moves, while some high-growth software and ad-tech firms saw sharp sell-offs after disappointing outlooks or cost-cutting announcements. Traders appeared cautious, leading to the modest decline in futures as market participants digested the mixed signals.


Market context and implications

The earnings-driven moves underscore a few cross-cutting themes evident in the reports: investor scrutiny of capital returns at a leading AI hardware vendor, strain in enterprise software demand as reflected in corporate guidance, active M&A and subscriber dynamics in media, and continued consolidation and acquisitive growth strategies among beverage brands. These dynamics are contributing to differentiated stock reactions ahead of the opening bell.

Risks

  • Guidance shortfalls and reduced forecasts at enterprise software and AI software companies could weigh on technology sector sentiment - particularly affecting cloud and ad-tech stocks.
  • Operational disruptions can narrow company outlooks, as shown by JM Smucker narrowing its full-year sales view after a manufacturing facility fire, creating near-term sales uncertainty in the consumer packaged goods sector.
  • Workforce reductions and below-expectation sales forecasts at software firms like C3.ai introduce execution risk and could amplify downside pressure on high-growth technology names.

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