Key Highlights

  • Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) reports before the open on Thursday, October 29, 2026, with consensus earnings per share of USD 5.38 from one calendar page. Revenue, obesity-drug and guidance expectations were not retrieved.
  • Merck (NYSE:MRK) reports before the bell on October 29, 2026 with consensus EPS of USD 2.12, alongside Bristol Myers Squibb at USD 1.28 and Altria at USD 1.51, so the sector read-through arrives together.
  • Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) reports after the close on October 29, 2026 with consensus EPS of USD 2.17, in the same window as Stryker and Illumina, after Boston Scientific fell 6% on weak fourth-quarter guidance.
  • Stryker (NYSE:SYK) reports after the close on October 29, 2026 with consensus EPS of USD 3.56 from one calendar page. All figures are unverified, and this is a preview to be redone as results.

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY): The Day's Biggest Healthcare Event

Eli Lilly is scheduled to report before the open on Thursday, October 29, 2026, and one published earnings calendar shows consensus earnings per share of USD 5.38. It is the largest name on a crowded morning, and results were not out when this was written. Consensus earnings per share is the average of analyst estimates, and a stock rarely moves on that number alone. For a large drugmaker, the reaction usually depends on revenue against expectations, product-level sales and whether management raises, holds or trims full-year guidance. A company can beat on earnings per share and still fall if guidance disappoints. Because the obesity-drug and guidance expectations were not retrieved, a headline beat or miss against USD 5.38 is only part of the picture for Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY). The report lands the same morning as September PCE inflation and third-quarter GDP at 7:30 a.m. ET. Any move in the shares will depend on commentary as much as on the figures, and options pricing typically reflects a sizeable move for such reports. Traders should treat the single-page consensus as a starting point, since the company release will carry the verified numbers.

Merck (NYSE:MRK): A Sector Read-Through Before the Bell

Merck (NYSE:MRK) carries a consensus of USD 2.12 and reports before the open on October 29, 2026. Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) is at USD 1.28. Altria (NYSE:MO) is at USD 1.51. The three figures come from the same single calendar page as the Eli Lilly number, and no revenue or guidance estimates were retrieved, so they are starting points and not a verified Street model. Nothing here should be read as an expectation of a beat or a miss. Investors will compare the four drug and consumer-health names against each other, and a cautious tone at one can echo through the group. The macro backdrop adds noise: the Federal Reserve held at 3.75% to 4.00% on October 28, and December hike odds are near 81% to 85%. The 10-year Treasury yield closed above 5%, which raises the rate used to discount future earnings at Merck (NYSE:MRK). Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb and Altria sit in different corners of the sector, so a miss at one does not set the tone for all three, although management commentary on guidance and demand will be compared across them. Nasdaq-100 futures were down about 1.2% before 4:30 a.m. ET.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD): Guidance After Boston Scientific's Fall

Gilead is scheduled to report after the close on October 29, 2026, with consensus earnings per share of USD 2.17. Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) fell 6% on weak fourth-quarter guidance, as reported, which matters because healthcare names that beat on earnings per share can still fall when forward guidance undershoots. A share price reflects expected future earnings rather than the quarter just reported. Without revenue, product-level and guidance consensus, the USD 2.17 headline number is only part of how the stock will be judged. Investors will watch whether Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) follows Boston Scientific's cautious tone or breaks from it. Firmer outlooks could break the pattern, while softer guidance would echo the earlier reaction. Further read-through may come to rival biotechs and device makers, and the size of the reaction will depend on how far results and outlooks differ from expectations. The company sells medicines, so product-level sales and the outlook matter as much as the EPS figure. Traders should also expect options pricing to reflect a sizeable move, though no implied move was retrieved here. Earlier in the day, September PCE inflation and third-quarter GDP land at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK): The Medical-Device Test

Stryker has a consensus of USD 3.56 and reports in the same after-the-bell window as Gilead and Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN), which is at USD 1.36. These figures also come from a single calendar page and are unverified. Each company covers a different part of the sector: biopharma, medical devices and life-science tools. After Boston Scientific's 6% fall, investors will read Stryker and Illumina for any sign that device and instrument demand is softening. Higher yields weigh on valuations across long-duration sectors, and Nasdaq-100 futures were down about 1.2% before 4:30 a.m. ET on October 29. The key risk for Stryker (NYSE:SYK) is a guidance cut, because the share price already reflects what investors expect. Options-implied moves were not retrieved, so the size of the expected reaction is unknown, and the first read will come in extended trading. A strong guidance statement could break the cautious pattern set by Boston Scientific, while a weak one would extend it. Readers should compare the actual results with the company release, because the consensus figures here are unverified starting points and not a complete Street view.

Where Things Stand

The biggest healthcare event is Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), because it is the largest name on a crowded morning, but how the day is remembered will depend on guidance, not just the USD 5.38 consensus. The balance of evidence is one calendar page of EPS figures with no revenue or guidance estimates. The next catalysts are the 7:30 a.m. ET PCE and GDP prints and the morning releases from Merck (NYSE:MRK), Bristol Myers Squibb and Altria. After the close, Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) reports with Stryker and Illumina. Stryker (NYSE:SYK) is the cleanest read on devices. This preview should be redone as a results piece.