Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: McDonald's, Caterpillar, Palantir, Merck & more

Cnbc · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 04, 2026 · 508 words · By Sarah Min

stock_market_performance Corporate Earnings

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What to know about stock_market_performance

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: McDonald's — Shares of the hamburger chain gained 1.9% after McDonald's posted earnings of $3.38 per share, on an adjusted basis, compared to the LSEG consensus of $3.32 per share.

Claims checked 30

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Revenue of $7.1 billion, on the other hand, missed the anticipated $7.13 billion.

Common ground

Merck — The pharmaceutical stock gained more than 1% after Merck lost an adjusted 13 cents per share on revenue of $16.61 billion.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this stock_market_performance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The cloud computing stock plunged 11%, though DigitalOcean posted second quarter earnings of 45 cents per share on revenues of $281 million?
How does this story connect stock_market_performance with Corporate Earnings over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-premarket-mcd-ca…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 30 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 20

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 3

cancel Disputed 2

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Claim 1: “The cloud computing stock plunged 11%, though DigitalOcean posted second quarter earnings of 45 cents per share on revenues of $281 million”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Analysts polled by LSEG expected a loss of 27 cents per share on revenue of $16.36 billion [for Merck]”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm that analysts expected a larger adjusted loss of 27 cents per share for Merck.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — FactSet Research Systems Inc., trading as FactSet, is an American financial data and software company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States. The company provides integrated data and sof…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FactSet

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gen Digital Inc. (formerly Symantec Corporation and NortonLifeLock Inc.) is a multinational software company co-headquartered in both Tempe, Arizona (USA) and Prague, Czech Republic (EU). The company…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Digital

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web search NEUTRAL — Revenue of $16.4 billion, compared to the $16.02 billion Wall Street was expecting. For the full year in 2026, Merck expects: Annual adjusted earnings per share to land between $5.00 and $5.15, lower …
https://sherwood.news/markets/merck-reports-better-than-expe…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Analysts polled by LSEG had expected per-share earnings of 89 cents on revenues of $3.47 billion [Wayfair]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “On Semi earned 74 cents per share, excluding certain items, on revenue of $1.6 billion”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “The pharmaceutical stock gained more than 1% after Merck lost an adjusted 13 cents per share on revenue of $16.61 billion”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm Merck reported an adjusted loss of 13 cents per share. One source also mentions the stock rose (0.6%), which aligns with the 'gained' claim, though the specific 'more than 1%' is not explicitly confirmed, the financial figures are corroborated.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Merck & Co., Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merck_&_Co.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merck_Group

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, referred to as The Merck Manual, is the world's best-selling medical textbook, and the oldest continuously published English language medical textbook. First…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merck_Manual_of_Diagnosis_and_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The industrial giant climbed 8% after Caterpillar posted second-quarter figures that beat analyst expectations”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Caterpillar shares jumped/climbed (one mentions 12%) after reporting Q2 results that beat expectations.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Palantir surged after reporting results that exceeded expectations, helped by strong demand from government customers, while investors are now awaiting SpaceX’s first quarterly earnings report since i…
https://www.tipranks.com/news/the-fly/morning-movers-palanti…

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web search NEUTRAL — Caterpillar delivered one of the strongest earnings reports of the quarter, crushing Wall Street’s expectations as demand remained robust across its end markets.
https://dailytradealert.com/2026/08/07/3-stocks-to-watch-aft…

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web search NEUTRAL — Caterpillar shares jumped 12%, with backlog at a record US$72bn as the data-centre boom makes the old-economy giant a capital-cycle winner. Caterpillar posted its strongest single-day share price perf…
https://miningdigital.com/news/critical-minerals-how-data-ce…

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Claim 7: “The pharma giant also hiked its full-year revenue guidance [Merck]”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Merck hiking its full-year revenue guidance.

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Claim 8: “Revenue of $1.6 billion did beat an estimate of $1.54 billion [Snap]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “LSEG consensus of $3.32 per share [for McDonald's]”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results mention the analyst expectation/consensus for McDonald's earnings as $3.32 per share.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a global stock exchange based in Paternoster Square in the City of London, England. Founded in 1801, it is one of the world's oldest continuously operating stock exc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Stock_Exchange

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; French: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Stock_Exchange

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Shares were little changed after Whirlpool posted a second quarter loss that was larger than analysts anticipated”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “Whirlpool lost an adjusted 21 cents per share, while analysts polled by LSEG expected a loss of 5 cents per share”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “The chip stock surged 7% after On Semiconductor's second-quarter results topped expectations”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “The company also reported better-than-expected margins [On Semiconductor]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “The Snapchat parent rose 5% after it released results for the second quarter”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Revenue of $7.1 billion, on the other hand, missed the anticipated $7.13 billion [for McDonald's]”

DISPUTED

One source reports revenue of $7.1 billion, while another reports $7.08 billion and states it was below an anticipated $7.10 billion (contradicting the claim's $7.13 billion figure).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — McDonald's is the world's second largest fast food restaurant chain. It was founded in 1940 in San Bernardino, California, and later incorporated in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. Since then, McDonal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonald's_products

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast-food restaurant chain. Founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California, the com…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard James McDonald (February 16, 1909 – July 14, 1998) and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald (November 26, 1902 – December 11, 1971), known as the McDonald brothers, were American entrepreneurs who fou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_and_Maurice_McDonald

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 16: “That beat the earnings of $0.26 per share on revenues of $279 million expected by analysts, according to LSEG [DigitalOcean]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “The social media company lost 10 cents per share [Snap]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 18: “the company lowered its full-year earnings guidance [Whirlpool]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 19: “Revenue of $3.52 billion was also below expectations [Whirlpool]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 20: “Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of 71 cents per share on revenue of $1.59 billion [On Semiconductor]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 21: “Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of $6.20 per share on revenue of $19.34 billion [Caterpillar]”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding LSEG analyst expectations for Caterpillar's profit or revenue.

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Claim 22: “The pharma giant gained after posting second-quarter results that beat the Street [Pfizer]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 23: “The company earned an adjusted 77 cents per share on revenue of $15.03 billion [Pfizer]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

cancel

Claim 24: “Shares of the hamburger chain gained 1.9% after McDonald's posted earnings of $3.38 per share, on an adjusted basis”

DISPUTED

One source confirms adjusted earnings of $3.38 per share, but another source explicitly states Q3 earnings were $3.22 per share, falling short of the $3.32 estimate. There is a direct contradiction regarding the earnings figure.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 25: “The data analytics giant ripped 15% higher on blowout results for the second quarter that were powered by a nearly 150% surge in U.S. commercial revenue [Palantir Technologies]”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Palantir's stock soared (10-13%) and specifically cite U.S. commercial revenue growth of 149% (which is 'nearly 150%').

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Palantir Technologies (PLTR) share price soared 13% after-hours on Monday after the company delivered a standout Q2 performance, driven by heightened corporate demand for its AI tools and services.
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/pltr-stock…

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web search NEUTRAL — Palantir Technologies (PLTR) shares rose about 10% to around $172 on Aug. 10 after results showed 93% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.935B, including U.S. commercial revenue up 149% to $764M.
https://alphai.io/news/article/08-10/b815fdc8d0e1d060/why-is…

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web search NEUTRAL — Palantir raised full-year guidance and said U.S. commercial revenue is now expected to grow by at least 134%; Bank of America’s Mariana Perez Mora kept a buy rating and set a $255 price target.
https://www.binance.bh/en/square/post/08-09-2026-wall-street…

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Claim 26: “The furniture retailer dropped 4% even after Wayfair posted second quarter results that topped estimates, with earnings of 95 cents per share, excluding items, on revenues of $3.52 billion”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 27: “The company earned an adjusted $8.17 per share on revenue of $20.54 billion [Caterpillar]”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Caterpillar's specific adjusted earnings per share or revenue figures.

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Claim 28: “Global daily active users and average revenue per user — key metrics for the company — also exceeded expectations [Snap]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 29: “Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of 68 cents per share on revenue of $14.41 billion [Pfizer]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 30: “Pfizer also increased the low end of its full-year revenue outlook”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.