Stock Markets August 4, 2026 10:35 AM

Caterpillar, Dell Lead Broad Swings Across Market Caps; Sterling Construc, Others Slip

Mega-cap gains alongside large- and small-cap volatility as a mix of earnings beats, guidance changes and one-offs drive Tuesday’s stock moves

By Avery Klein
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DELL CAT KLAC W ZBRA

Tuesday’s trading session produced notable winners and losers across market-cap tiers. Mega-cap names including Dell and Caterpillar registered strong gains, while a range of large-, mid- and small-cap companies also moved sharply on the day. Several firms reported earnings beats and raised outlooks, supporting rallies, while others saw steep declines after weaker guidance or earnings misses.

Caterpillar, Dell Lead Broad Swings Across Market Caps; Sterling Construc, Others Slip
DELL CAT KLAC W ZBRA
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Key Points

  • Mega-cap stocks including Dell and Caterpillar registered strong gains in the session, appearing among the top movers.
  • Earnings beats and raised outlooks supported rallies in several large-cap names such as Wayfair, Zebra Technologies, Gartner, Advanced Energy and Broadridge.
  • Several companies across large-, mid- and small-cap tiers experienced steep selloffs following weak guidance or earnings misses, affecting industrial, automotive and healthcare-related names.

Tuesdays trading saw pronounced price action across the market-cap spectrum, with select mega-cap technology and industrial stocks pushing higher and a number of smaller issuers posting double-digit moves in both directions.

Mega-cap movers

  • Dell Inc (DELL) was up +6.31% in the primary movers list.
  • Caterpillar (CAT) showed gains of +4.7% in that same list.
  • Kla-tencor Corp (KLAC) rose +4.38% in the initial roundup.

Large-cap movers

  • Wayfair Inc (W) jumped +29.24% after topping Q2 estimates and posting strong free cash flow.
  • Zebra Tech (ZBRA) climbed +18.25% following a strong Q2 beat and a raised outlook.
  • Gartner (IT) gained +15.12% on robust second-quarter results.
  • Advanced Energy (AEIS) rose +12.4% after a strong Q2 and guidance lift.
  • Coherent (COHR) advanced +11.57%.
  • Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) was up +9.64% after beating estimates on earnings and revenue.
  • Sterling Construc (STRL) declined -13.41%.
  • Delphi Automotive (APTV) fell -15.62%, with shares dropping after weak guidance despite a Q2 earnings beat.

Mid-cap movers

  • UFP Technologies (UFPT) surged +19.28%.
  • Applied Opt (AAOI) was up +17.02%.
  • Dorman Products (DORM) climbed +13.1%.
  • Paymentus Holdings Inc (PAY) rose +26.39%.
  • Bruker (BRKR) fell -16.66%.
  • Knife River (KNF) slid -13.56%.
  • Albany International Corp (AIN) dropped -13.63%.

Small-cap movers

  • PLTU (PLTU) led the small-cap list with a +51.53% move.
  • Ameresco Inc (AMRC) surged +27.89% as data center momentum helped drive a top-line beat and strong guidance.
  • 3D Systems Corporation (DDD) rose +23.85%.
  • Voyager Technologies (VOYG) moved +23.74%.
  • Inspire Medical Systems Inc (INSP) climbed +21.08% after an Oppenheimer upgrade on valuation.
  • DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp (AHCO) showed a large negative move tied to AdaptHealth referenced in the listing, with a -42.01% figure shown.

Later in the article the report restated a set of percentage movements that reiterate many of the same tickers with slightly different intraday figures. Those additional readings include:

  • CAT +5.7% / DELL +6.82% / KLAC +5.54%
  • DDD +23.85% / AEIS +13.06% / COHR +13.62% / DORM +15.29% / STRL -11.26%
  • UFPT +18.7% / ZBRA +19.64% / AIN -13.49% / AMRC +27.74% / APTV -15.3% / IT +15.38%
  • BRKR -17.44% / BR +8.64% / AAOI +19.35% / W +27.34% / AHCO -40.21% / INSP +17.79% / PAY +25.52% / KNF -11.92% / VOYG +25.56%

The session highlighted a mix of company-specific drivers. Several gains were tied to reported beats and upgraded outlooks, as noted for Wayfair, Zebra Technologies, Gartner, Advanced Energy and Broadridge. Conversely, some sharp declines accompanied weak or cut guidance and earnings misses, exemplified by entries such as Aptiv, Bruker, Sterling Construc and the healthcare-related listing tied to AHCO/AdaptHealth.

Overall the market action on Tuesday spanned mega- to small-cap names, underlining a day of concentrated moves where individual corporate results and guidance changes appear to have driven significant re-pricing in multiple sectors.

Risks

  • Companies that issued weak guidance or missed earnings showed sharp declines, introducing downside risk for investors in those names and impacting sectors such as automotive and healthcare.
  • Volatility in small-cap names was pronounced, with very large intraday percentage moves that increase execution and liquidity risk for traders and investors.
  • Discrepancies in repeated intraday percentage readings in the report indicate fast-moving price action that may complicate real-time decision-making for market participants.

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