3 Stocks With 100%+ Projected Q3 Earnings Growth to Buy Before Results Urmimala Biswas Wed, October 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM EDT 5 min read ^GSPC -0.28% CL=F -0.57% ^IXIC -0.34% MQ +2.84% KRO -1.15% Explore stocks on Coinbase Trading disclosure Trading disclosure The above button links to Coinbase. Yahoo Finance is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser and does not offer securities or cryptocurrencies for sale or facilitate trading. Coinbase pays us for certain activity generated through this link. Prices displayed are informational.
The third-quarter earnings season is getting underway. From July through September, investors had to contend with higher oil prices, rising Treasury yields, inflation concerns and renewed monetary tightening. Yet equities proved remarkably resilient. The S&P 500 gained about 1.4% in the third quarter, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.4%.
Reuters noted that the market's resilience was supported by strong corporate earnings, although participation remained relatively narrow. Around 40% of S&P 500 stocks were down year to date at the end of September, while a handful of large technology companies accounted for a significant portion of the market's gains.
The focus is now shifting to the third-quarter earnings season. According to the latest Earnings Preview, S&P 500 earnings are expected to increase 24.6% year over year on 11.6% higher revenues, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit earnings growth. More encouragingly, the earnings outlook is broadening. Fifteen of the 16 Zacks sectors are expected to report year-over-year earnings growth, while estimates have been moving higher across eight sectors, including Finance, Transportation, Aerospace, Industrials, Utilities and Autos, in addition to Technology and Energy.
Against this backdrop, three stocks with 100% or greater projected third-quarter earnings growth stand out. The stocks are Chime Financial CHYM, Marqeta MQ and Kronos Worldwide KRO.
The macroeconomic picture remains mixed. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates in September for the first time in three years, while the 10-year Treasury yield surged more than 85 basis points during the third quarter, creating a significant valuation headwind for equities. Oil prices also rebounded sharply, adding to inflation concerns. Reuters noted that the 10-year yield reached a 24-year high of 5.34% in late September.
Six sectors are projected to deliver double-digit earnings growth in the third quarter, led by Aerospace at 159.7%, Energy at 114.3% and Technology at 43.3%. Zacks also expects S&P 500 earnings to grow 27% in the fourth quarter, suggesting that the current earnings cycle is not expected to represent a one-quarter improvement.
Against this backdrop, stocks with unusually strong third-quarter earnings-growth projections could attract investor attention, particularly when those estimates are supported by upward revisions and strong earnings surprises in the last reported quarter.
Chime Financial: This financial technology company provides low-cost banking and payments products to consumers. Chime raised its third-quarter 2026 revenue guidance to $705 million, implying approximately 30% year-over-year growth and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $117-$120 million. The company also announced a $590 million agreement to acquire Stride Bank, which it expects to create more than $100 million in net synergies over time.The company is slated to release third-quarter results on Nov. 4.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this fintech company's third-quarter earnings is 8 cents per share, up 153.3% year over year. More importantly, the consensus estimate has increased 60% over the past 60 days, reflecting improving analyst expectations. The full-year EPS estimate also implies 110.3% growth from the prior year. In its last reported quarter, the company registered an earnings surprise of 800%. CHYM has a Growth Score of A and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Marqeta: This global modern card-issuing platform provides businesses with infrastructure and tools to build customized payment-card programs. In the last reported second quarter, TPV increased 32% year over year, while gross profit rose 17% and adjusted EBITDA jumped 31%. For the third quarter of 2026, the company expects revenue growth of 6-8%, gross profit growth of 5-7% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 20-25%.
The consensus estimate for this payments technology company's third-quarter earnings is 7 cents per share, up 275% year over year. Estimates have moved upward by 40% over the past 60 days. The full-year EPS estimate also implies 333.3% growth from the prior year. In its last reported quarter, the company registered an earnings beat by 7 cents. MQ has a Growth Score of A and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is slated to release third-quarter results on Nov. 3.
Kronos Worldwide: It is a producer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments used in paints, coatings, plastics and other applications. Kronos' last-reported second-quarter sales volumes rose 15.9% year over year, while lower production costs and cost-reduction initiatives lifted TiO2 segment profit sharply. Management said a favorable backlog entering the third quarter improved production flexibility and expects 2026 sales to exceed 2025 levels.
The consensus estimate for third-quarter earnings of this global TiO2 producer is pegged at 16 cents per share, indicating an upside of 188.9% year over year. Estimates have moved upward by 128.6% over the past 60 days. The full-year EPS estimate also implies 136.5% growth from the prior year. In its last reported quarter, the company registered an earnings surprise of 425%. KRO has a Growth Score of A and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company is expected to release third-quarter results shortly.
You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
