Advance Auto Parts returned to profitability in its second quarter ended July 12, posting adjusted earnings of $0.69 a share, well above the $0.53 analysts expected. Revenue fell 9% from a year earlier to $2.0 billion as comparable store sales inched 0.1% higher, but cost controls helped lift margins enough to offset weaker volumes. Despite the beat, the automotive-parts retailer trimmed its full-year forecast to a range of $1.20 to $2.20 in adjusted earnings per share, below the $1.85 market consensus. Management cited higher interest expense tied to a recent senior-notes offering. The shares were down about 1.5% in early trading after initially slipping pre-market. Applied Materials also topped Wall Street’s headline estimates, exceeding profit expectations by roughly $0.12 a share and reporting stronger-than-anticipated revenue. A gloomier outlook, however, rattled investors; the stock plunged more than 10% in after-hours trading, its steepest post-earnings drop since 2001, according to Bespoke Investment Group. The market reaction underscores how sensitive investors remain to forward guidance as companies navigate slowing demand and continuing uncertainty around U.S.–China trade tensions following April’s 145% tariff on Chinese goods.