Key Highlights

  • Palantir leads on a calculated 48.8% margin, a result of $1.128 billion of profit set against $2.313 billion in sales.
  • Diamondback's calculated Margin lands at 29.5%, from $1.603 billion of income and $5.431 billion of sales.
  • The five margins average 32.5% (calculated); pooled together, they come to 27.4% (calculated).
  • Apple collected the largest profit, $30.711 billion, yet its 26.8% calculated margin is the group's lowest.
  • First-to-last separation equals 21.9 percentage points (calculated), with places two through five packed inside 2.7 points.

Where the Five Largest-Margin Firms Stand in the Latest Reporting Round

Five firms with quarterly sales above the $1 billion mark posted the highest net margins here, and all published results on Nov 2, 2026. These margins are calculated by dividing Net Income by revenue, drawn from the figures each company published. Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) occupies first place with a 48.8% reading, built from sales of $2.313 billion and a profit of $1.128 billion.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) is next, at a ratio of $1.603 billion to $5.431 billion, equal to 29.5%. Equitable Holdings (NYSE:EQH) follows at 28.9%, measured on $1.121 billion versus $3.881 billion. Lumentum (NASDAQ:LITE) posts 28.5%, using $360.3 million out of $1,262.6 million; Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) finishes with 26.8%, derived from $30.711 billion over $114.477 billion.

Calendars vary: Lumentum's period is its fiscal Q1 2027, and Apple's is its fiscal Q4 2026, while the remaining firms closed calendar Q3. The list runs from software and energy producers through financial services, optical parts and consumer devices, with Revenue from about $1.3 billion through $114.5 billion, the top-end figure belonging to Apple.

1. Palantir: Doubling Sales and a Near-Half Profit Share

Sales rose 96% against the prior-year quarter and climbed 20% sequentially, reaching a level above the $2 billion threshold, a first. Profit available to common holders totaled $1.128 billion, which is $0.44 for each diluted share, up from $475.6 million a year before. The company cited a 49% margin, which lines up with the 48.8% calculation used here.

U.S. commercial revenue jumped 148% to $984 million, which exceeded the $953 million drawn from U.S. government customers, a first. The full-year revenue forecast now sits between $8.530 billion and $8.534 billion, while the fourth quarter is projected at $2.649 billion through $2.653 billion. Adjusted free Cash Flow reached $1.216 billion, and cash plus Treasuries came to $10.4 billion.

2. Diamondback Energy: Realized Crude Prices and Shareholder Payouts Lift Results

Revenue reached $5.431 billion, a 38.4% (calculated) increase over $3.924 billion. Net income credited to shareholders came to $1.603 billion, which equals $5.69 per diluted share; a year-earlier amount of $1.018 billion, equal to $3.51 a share. Oil output stayed at 525 MBO/d, unchanged from the second quarter, while the realized price per barrel reached $87.30, versus $64.60 a year earlier and $96.82 in Q2.

Free cash flow hit $2.148 billion, while Capital Expenditure on a cash basis was $1.0 billion. Annual base Dividend payouts were increased by 7.3%, reaching $4.72 a share; the quarterly $1.18 payment falls due on Nov 19, 2026. Projected oil output for the whole year was lifted to roughly 524 MBO/d. Share repurchases totaled 1.3 million shares, worth roughly $251 million.

3. Equitable Holdings: Items Lifting a 28.9% Margin Following Last Year's Net Loss

Shareholder Earnings came to about $1.1 billion, which translates to $4.05 a share, versus a $1.3 billion net loss a year before. Total revenues came to $3.881 billion, up from $1.450 billion. The margin is anchored to an income figure of $1,121 million that appears in the data summary of the article.

On a non-GAAP operating basis, the figure was $595 million, or $2.13 a share; excluding notable items it was $554 million, which equals $1.98 a share, a 19% gain. An annual review of actuarial assumptions contributed $111 million to earnings, so the GAAP margin embeds that effect. Shareholders received $320 million in returns, and the Merger with another large insurer is still expected to finish by the end of 2026, pending regulators.

4. Lumentum: Revenue Up 136.5% Backs a 28.5% Margin

Revenue for the fiscal first quarter came in at $1,262.6 million, a 136.5% jump over $533.8 million a year prior. GAAP earnings reached $360.3 million, with each diluted share worth $3.54, versus $4.2 million earlier. Non-GAAP profit came to $461.1 million, and the Operating Margin on that basis stood at 42.3%.

Management pointed to an additional award for optical components used in near-packaged and co-packaged setups, backed by purchase commitments exceeding $5 billion. The company expects second-quarter revenue of $1.575 billion to $1.625 billion. The earlier quarter, meanwhile, ended with a net Deficit of $7.2 billion, driven by a $7,756.6 million charge on extinguishing debt, and cash dropped $758.8 million for reasons the files leave unstated.

5. Apple: Biggest Dollar Profit, Smallest Margin in the Group

Apple's fiscal fourth-quarter revenue reached $114.5 billion, a 12% increase, with a net profit of $30.7 billion compared with $27.5 billion and diluted EPS of $2.10. Tariff refund gains contributed $0.05 per share, lifting the 47.9% gross margin by close to a point.

iPhone sales grew 17%, reaching $57.6 billion, and Services posted a record $31.6 billion. Operating costs grew 21% to $19.2 billion. The December quarter should see revenue expand 7% to 10%, and gross margin is expected between 45% and 46%, a range hampered mainly by costlier memory components.

Margin Dispersion and Pooled Economics: Where the Group Lands

Apple's 26.8% trails Palantir's 48.8% by 21.9 percentage points (calculated). Averaging the five margins yields 32.5% (calculated), a figure lifted by Palantir; the second-to-fifth ranks fall within 2.7 points, from 29.5% down to 26.8% (calculated).

Taken together, the five show about $34.9 billion of net income from roughly $127.4 billion of revenue, yielding 27.4% (calculated) as the margin. Apple accounts for close to 89.9% of the revenue base (calculated), so the pooled number tracks its margin closely. The five are not directly comparable: Equitable's figures contain sizable movements tied to last year's loss plus an actuarial review; Lumentum's preceding quarter included a large loss linked to debt; and Apple's profit reflects a tariff refund that management valued at $0.05 a share.

What to Watch Next: Payout Calendar, Equitable's Deal Deadline and Upcoming Reports

Two payouts land in November: Apple's $0.27 on the 16th and Diamondback's $1.18 on the 19th, with record dates set for the 12th. Equitable's merger timetable points to completion by late 2026.

Palantir's next checkpoint is its fourth-quarter release; Lumentum's is its second-quarter release. Neither article provides a date. Apple's subsequent report is expected to shed light on Supply and memory-cost effects on margin, and it too offers no fixed timing. Lumentum's quarterly filing still awaits submission, with no date supplied.