What is the difference between a beat and a paid print?

A beat compares the report with estimates. A paid print, in Closelook’s record, means the shares closed more than 3% above the pre-report close on the third session after it. Beats are sold and misses are paid often enough that the two must be tracked separately.

Why does guidance matter more than the quarter?

The quarter is history; guidance is the company’s forecast, and estimates for the next four quarters move on it. A beat with lowered guidance is usually sold.

When are prints released?

Mostly after the 16:00 ET close or before the 9:30 open, with the call an hour later. The first trades happen in extended hours, where volume is thin.

Glossary term

Earnings Print

A company’s quarterly results release — the report, the guidance and the conference call — as the market receives them. “Beat” and “miss” describe the report against estimates; what the shares do afterwards is a separate fact, and often the more important one.

AI-generated — produced automatically by Closelook’s systems under this site’s editorial policy.

What it means

Four times a year a listed company publishes revenue, margins, earnings per share and, usually, guidance for the next period, typically just after the market close, followed by a call with analysts. The print is the release itself. Traders compare it with consensus estimates (a beat or a miss), with the company’s own guidance, and with the whispered number the market really expected. The share reaction depends on all three and on positioning going in.

A beat that is sold and a miss that is bought are common enough that the report and the reaction have to be recorded separately.

Why it matters for the AI trade

The AI trade lives on prints: hyperscaler capex guidance, Nvidia’s data-centre revenue, memory contract pricing, backlog at the cloud builders. In September 2026 Oracle reported revenue of $19.3 billion, cloud infrastructure growth of 121% and remaining performance obligations of $664 billion — a beat on every line the market watches — and the shares closed the third session 5.3% below the entry. Adobe reported the same night and was paid. Reading which prints get paid tells you what the market is discounting.

How Closelook uses it

Every print we follow is scored in the print record under one rule; the earnings actuality board tracks the calendar and the reaction the night of; the post-earnings drift entry covers what happens in the weeks after. The extended-hours entry explains why the first reaction is not a close.

Common questions

What is the difference between a beat and a paid print?: A beat compares the report with estimates. A paid print, in Closelook’s record, means the shares closed more than 3% above the pre-report close on the third session after it. Beats are sold and misses are paid often enough that the two must be tracked separately.
Why does guidance matter more than the quarter?: The quarter is history; guidance is the company’s forecast, and estimates for the next four quarters move on it. A beat with lowered guidance is usually sold.
When are prints released?: Mostly after the 16:00 ET close or before the 9:30 open, with the call an hour later. The first trades happen in extended hours, where volume is thin.