How to prep for an earnings call with Claude: a five-step checklist, run on Microsoft

All outputs are real tool calls to the Equibles MCP server from 21 October 2026, trimmed.

Before an earnings call I want five things on one page: when it is, what management guided, what analysts expect, what the last call talked about, and how big a move the options market is pricing. Each one is a single question to an AI agent with market data.

Here's the checklist run on Microsoft, which reports on 28 October 2026.

In Claude, open Customize → Connectors → Discover, search for Equibles, click Connect to Claude and Authorize, then switch it on in a chat from + → Connectors. In ChatGPT: Plugins, search Equibles, Install plugin. In Claude Code, claude mcp add --transport http equibles https://mcp.equibles.com/mcp and then /mcp to sign in. The free plan covers 100 requests a day; other clients are in the setup docs.

"Using Equibles, when is Microsoft's next earnings call?" GetUpcomingInvestorEvents reads the company's own IR calendar:

- 2026-10-28 21:30 UTC [Earnings call]: Microsoft Fiscal Year 2027 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call - 2026-12-08 16:30 UTC [Shareholder meeting]: Microsoft Annual Shareholders Meeting Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 21:30 UTC is 5:30 pm in New York, after the close, so 29 October is the first session that can react.

"What guidance did Microsoft give for the quarter it's about to report?" GetGuidance returns every guided figure by release. From the 29 July call, for fiscal Q1 2027 (July to September 2026):

When a guidance row looks odd, ask for the sentence behind it. The same call put calendar-2026 capex at about $175B, down from "at least $190B" in April, and the transcript explains why: "Outside of this useful life impact our calendar year 2026 capex investment expectations remain unchanged however the shift from finance to operating leases adjust our expectation to approximately 175 billion dollars." Read alone, the row looks like a cut. In context, it's an accounting change, since finance leases count in capex and operating leases don't.

"What's the analyst consensus for that quarter, and how has the EPS estimate moved?" GetAnalystEstimates says which kind of consensus answered; for Microsoft it's a compiled consensus, captured 20 October:

"What were the tone and themes of Microsoft's last earnings call?" GetEarningsCallToneAndThemes for 29 July: tone 78 on a -100 to +100 scale, hedging 22 out of 100.

These are the threads to listen for on the 28th: whether Azure lands near the 45% guide, and whether capex is still discussed neutrally.

"What move are MSFT options pricing for the earnings, and how did the stock react to the last four calls?" The agent reads two chains with GetOptionChain: the expiration just before the call and the one just after. MSFT closed at $531.87 on 20 October. The 530 straddle, call plus put at the bid/ask midpoint:

The three sessions to 23 October are priced at about 2%, and the eight to 30 October, which include the call, at about 5.5%. Then ListInvestorEvents for the call dates and GetStockPrices for the closes:

The average absolute one-day move over those four calls is 8.1%, above the 5.5% the 30 October straddle prices. Four calls is a small sample: context, not a forecast.

Using Equibles, before <TICKER>'s next earnings call: 1. Confirm the call date and time from the IR calendar. 2.

List the company's guidance for the quarter being reported, and quote the transcript line behind any row that looks like a change. 3. Compare it to analyst consensus: average, range, count, and how the EPS average moved over 90 days.

4. Summarise the last call's tone and themes. 5.

Price the at-the-money straddle for the expirations just before and just after the call, and show the one-day moves after the last four. Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode What prep can't tell you The number that matters this time. It may not be on the list: a segment, a margin, the next quarter's guide.

Whether consensus is current. It's a snapshot with a capture time; estimates can move in the last week. The actual.

Guidance rows record what management said. The reported figure appears only once the quarter's filings land. Tomorrow's straddle.

Option prices here are from the 20 October close and change every session. The consensus history and the call transcripts are also on the MSFT analyst estimates and MSFT earnings calls pages.