Swamp Things Stirring After Hours: Stocks That Made a Splash

• Cisco's margins missed the mark, causing a stock dip despite overall earnings beat, reminding us that even ogres can have off days.
• McDonald's McExceeded expectations, proving that sometimes, the simplest things in life (and on the menu) are the most rewarding.
• Fastly's revenue forecast soared, leaving analysts in the dust and showing that cloud computing can indeed move at ogre-speed.
• Rollins' earnings report stank, leading to a stock plunge and proving even pest control giants can get bugged down.

Cisco's Swampy Margins

Well, hello there. It's Shrek here, reporting from my cozy swamp. Seems Cisco Systems had a bit of a kerfuffle after hours. While they beat earnings overall, their non-GAAP gross margin was a tad off, like finding a hair in your celebratory onion. The stock took a 7% dip, proving that even the best networking hardware can't escape a little ogre-sized scrutiny. Still, they're up 11% this year, so not all bad, eh?

McDonald's: I'm Lovin' the Profits

Next up, McDonald's. Now, I'm not one for fancy dining, but even I know a good deal when I see one. They beat expectations with earnings of $3.12 per share and revenues of $7.01 billion. Seems folks are still lovin' those fries. Sometimes, the simple things are best, just like a good mud bath after a long day of avoiding Farquaad. Speaking of economics, have you read China's Industrial Profits Bounce Back Can it Last? It's got more layers than an onion, and it'll keep you on your toes about global markets and profits, just like trying to keep Donkey out of your waffle stash.

AppLovin's Ogre-Sized Miss

AppLovin, the mobile tech company, also had a bumpy ride, sliding more than 4% despite beating profit and sales estimates. They earned $3.24 per share on revenues of $1.66 billion. It's a bit like when I try to be fancy – it might look good on paper, but the execution can be a bit...ogre-whelming. And they're down 32% this year, someone should give them a nice mud bath.

Fastly's Cloud Nine

Now here's a company that's movin' faster than Donkey on a sugar rush. Fastly, the cloud-computing stock, rallied more than 28%. Their full-year revenue guidance came in at $700 million to $720 million, leaving analysts in the dust. They posted adjusted earnings of 12 cents per share on revenues of $172.6 million. Seems they're doin' alright, eh? Maybe they got some magic beans from that dodgy bloke I met last week.

Rollins Gets Bugged Down

Rollins, the pest control company, had a bit of a pest problem of their own. They tumbled more than 16% after a disappointing earnings report. Earnings of 24 cents were below the 26 cents expected, and revenue also missed the mark. Seems like even ogre-sized companies can get bugged down by the little things. Sometimes, you just gotta accept that life's gonna throw some stink bugs your way.

Paycom's Payroll Problems

Finally, Paycom Software, the payrolls and human resources software provider, slid nearly 7% after issuing lower-than-expected revenue guidance. Seems someone's been dipping into the swamp juice instead of crunching numbers. Always good to remember that even sophisticated software needs a good foundation.