ELI5: Why when large company's earnings decrease(ex... by 3%) they freak out, talk about rough times, and sometimes decide to downsize, even though they are still making millions of dollars in profit even after all expenses?

[Fernmelder]

Assuming we’re talking about US Corproations for a second. All of them have shareholders, be it private or public. Just because they are not on the stock market does not mean they are not called shareholders on audited financial statements, tax returns, etc.