STOXX 600 companies are now expected to post 24.1% aggregate earnings growth for Q2 2026, up from 23.4% a week earlier, with 59.9% of reporting firms already beating estimates. Energy's outsized profit jump anchors the revision cycle, but 13.1% ex-energy profit growth points to a broader recovery, even as sales growth cools to 11.2%.
Companies in the STOXX 600 are now expected to report aggregate earnings growth of 24.1% for Q2 2026, up from last week's 23.4% estimate, according to LSEG I/B/E/S data reported by Thomson Reuters. The recovery is extending beyond energy, and many companies have exceeded expectations in a historically strong season, Reuters said.
Energy's 138.6% jump sits above a broader 13.1% gain
Energy is set for a 138.6% profit jump in Q2 2026, the outsized sector move anchoring the current revision cycle. Excluding energy, STOXX 600 profits are expected to grow 13.1%, a figure that sits beneath the 24.1% index-wide estimate. Both numbers point to gains outside oil and gas too, not just a single-sector swing.
Beat rate reaches 59.9% among early reporters
So far this season, 59.9% of the 282 firms that have already reported topped estimates as of Aug 19, 2026, in what Reuters called a historically strong stretch for beats. That percentage covers only those reporters, however; the 24.1% figure remains a full-index estimate from LSEG I/B/E/S.
Sales growth cools to 11.2% as the profit estimate rises
Projected sales growth eased to 11.2% year-on-year, down from last week's 11.4% estimate. At the same time, the profit-growth estimate climbed to 24.1% from 23.4%. All figures draw on LSEG I/B/E/S data and a partial Q2 tally as of Aug 19, 2026, so additional results could still move the aggregate.
Source: Thomson Reuters
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