Episode summary
BI Weekend: Disney, Palantir Earnings, Musk Stock Award | Bloomberg Intelligence
Bloomberg Intelligence
· · Hosts: Paul Sweeney, Lisa Mateo · Guests: Geetha Ranganathan, Ken Shea, Mandeep Singh, Christopher Ciolino, Michael Halen, Steve Man
Summary
Disney’s mixed quarter set the tone for the show. The host and Bloomberg Intelligence analyst said investors were reassured by strong streaming and parks performance, but disappointed by the lack of specific fiscal 2026 guidance and Disney’s decision to stop disclosing Disney+ subscriber counts. The analyst argued the parks business remains highly resilient, helped by domestic demand, new cruise ships, and a long capital expansion plan, while the NFL deal should strengthen ESPN’s streaming launch and improve Disney’s strategic position.
Molson Coors and Palantir showed very different kinds of pressure. The beer company cut guidance again as weak consumer demand, softer U.S. beer trends, and aluminum tariffs squeezed margins, with the analyst warning the summer selling season looks weak and that long-term drinking habits are shifting. Palantir, by contrast, reported its fastest quarterly sales growth since going public, but the analyst argued the stock’s valuation still implies growth that is hard to sustain, especially given heavy government exposure and a business model that remains less transparent than larger software peers.
Caterpillar’s quarter reinforced its role as a cyclical bellwether even with tariff headwinds. The analyst said demand remains resilient, backlog hit another record, and power generation tied to data centers is a major secular tailwind. McDonald’s was presented as another winner: same-store sales returned to growth, value promotions and menu innovation are working, and international markets are outperforming as lower-income traffic remains under pressure. Tesla’s headline was the $30 billion interim stock award for Elon Musk, which the analyst said helps secure Musk’s attention as the company pushes further into AI, robo-taxis, and Optimus.
Key takeaways
- Disney’s parks and streaming businesses remain strong, but investors want clearer fiscal 2026 guidance and execution on ESPN and Hulu integration.
- Molson Coors is being hit by weak beer demand, tariff-related aluminum costs, and secular shifts like GLP-1 use, cannabis, and Gen Z drinking less.
- Palantir’s revenue growth is impressive, but the analyst said the valuation assumes 40% to 50% growth for too long and the business mix is still opaque.
- Caterpillar’s backlog and order trends suggest underlying demand is intact even as tariffs create a $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion headwind.
- McDonald’s is regaining momentum through value offers, menu additions, and stronger international execution, even as low-income traffic stays weak.
- Tesla’s $30 billion award was framed as a way to keep Elon Musk focused on the company’s AI and robo-taxi strategy.
Notable quotes
“They did point to a raised guidance uh for EPS growth for uh fiscal 2025. 18% now instead of 16%”
“the opening of uh Epic Universe which is you know Universal's big uh Florida theme park attraction but the fact that it had absolutely no impact at all”
“It's material. Uh, you know, they they they describe it as an indirect cost, but it it really spiked up there in the quarter”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio news. This is Bloomberg Intelligence with Paul Sweeney. — The real outperformance has been the US corporate high yield. These are two big time blue chip companies. One person's chaos is another person's animal spirits. — Breaking market headlines and corporate news from across the globe.
Our view is that the economy is slowing down. There is the possibility of a death spiral. — Both quantum computing and AI are going to power the future. — People are just buying everything with tech. — Bloomberg Intelligence with Paul Sweeney
On Bloomberg Radio, YouTube, and Bloomberg Originals. — I'm Paul Sweeney. — And I'm Lisa Matteo. Filling in on Bloomberg Intelligence. — On today's Bloomberg Intelligence Show, we dig inside the big business stories impacting Wall Street and the global markets. Each and every week, we provide in-depth research and data on some of the 2,000 companies in 130 industries our analysts cover worldwide. Today, we'll look at why Palunteer Technologies reported its biggest ever quarterly sales growth since the company went public.
Plus, we'll look at how the fast food chain McDonald's returned to sales growth last quarter. — But first, we begin with earnings from the median entertainment giant Walt Disney. — This week, Disney shares fell after the company gave a mixed earnings report in the third quarter. The results, well, they showed strength in Disney streaming and parks business, but the company gave a lukewarm outlook for profit this year. For more guest host Isabelle Lee and I were joined by Githa Ranganathan, Bloomberg intelligence analyst on US media. We first ask Githa what exactly concerns investors about Disney.
You know expectations might have been you know slightly high uh and the fact that they didn't necessarily give us any specific guidance for fiscal 2026.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- disney earnings
- molson coors earnings
- palantir earnings
- caterpillar earnings
- musk tesla stock award
Companies and tickers mentioned
- DIS
- TAP
- PLTR
- CAT
- MCD
- TSLA
- Walt Disney
- Molson Coors
- Palantir
- Caterpillar
- McDonald's
- Tesla
Watch the episode
Watch “BI Weekend: Disney, Palantir Earnings, Musk Stock Award | Bloomberg Intelligence” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from Bloomberg Intelligence
-
Instant Reaction: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Ousted by Nvidia Board | Bloomberg Intelligence -
Nvidia’s Huang Ousted by Board in Move That Roils AI Economy | Bloomberg Intelligence -
CoreWeave Shares Soar After AI Computing Firm Eases Debt Fears | Bloomberg Intelligence -
Anthropic Targets $1.4 Trillion Valuation in Blockbuster IPO | Bloomberg Intelligence -
Nvidia Probe Into CEO Affair Raises Thorny Questions for AI | Bloomberg Intelligence -
Election 'Blue Wave' & Your Wallet; Navigating AI-Driven Market Volatility | Bloomberg Intelligence
Bloomberg Intelligence, this episode and its artwork belong to Bloomberg. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
