Tesla, IBM and Meta Platforms helped lead most U.S. stocks higher on Thursday following a rush of profit reports from some of the country’s most influential companies. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, as four out of every five stocks in the index climbed.

Tesla's fourth-quarter net income fell 71% from a year ago, when results were boosted by a one-time tax benefit.

With Tesla set to release its latest quarterly earnings report, Wall Street thinks the stock can keep rising on a "golden age" for automation and AI.

Shares of Tesla ( TSLA 4.28%) were moving higher today, overcoming a weak earnings report after CEO Elon Musk spent much of the earnings call pumping up the stock and making big promises about autonomy. As of 1:11 p.m. ET, the stock was up 4.7% on the news.

Tesla stock opened up 5.5% at $410.50 before slipping. The initial rise was a surprise for two reasons. For starters, earnings were relatively weak and guidance was “vague,” according to Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas.

Tesla reported fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday afternoon, and investors looked past revenue and per-share profit misses to focus on news the company kept its goal to launch cheaper EVs in the first half of the year and vowed to have fully autonomous cars on the roads in Austin,