Business 18 February 2026 - 19 February 2026

Meta stock rises as Zuckerberg faces jury questions and report flags fresh cost cuts
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Meta stock rises as Zuckerberg faces jury questions and report flags fresh cost cuts

Meta Platforms shares rose 1.4% to $653.84 Friday morning after CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a youth social media addiction trial in Los Angeles. The Financial Times reported Meta trimmed most employee stock awards by about 5% as it increases AI spending. Meta declined to comment. The company expects 2026 capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion.
February 20, 2026
Microsoft stock price today: MSFT edges up on $50B AI pledge, CrowdStrike deal and insider buy
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Microsoft stock price today: MSFT edges up on $50B AI pledge, CrowdStrike deal and insider buy

Microsoft shares rose 0.7% to $402.50 Thursday morning, outpacing tech benchmarks after the company detailed a $50 billion AI investment plan and new enterprise deals. Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares for about $2 million. The stock traded ex-dividend, with a $0.91 payout set for March 12. CrowdStrike shares also gained after expanding its partnership with Microsoft.
February 19, 2026
Walmart (WMT) earnings: New CEO Furner turns cautious — and rolls out a $30 billion buyback
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Walmart (WMT) earnings: New CEO Furner turns cautious — and rolls out a $30 billion buyback

Walmart reported Q4 revenue up 5.6% to $190.7 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.74, beating holiday-quarter estimates. The company forecast FY27 net sales growth of 3.5%-4.5% and adjusted EPS of $2.75-$2.85, both below Wall Street expectations. Global e-commerce sales jumped 24%. Walmart approved a new $30 billion share buyback and raised its annual dividend to 99 cents.
February 19, 2026
MSGS stock holds near record as MSG Sports weighs Knicks-Rangers spinoff
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MSGS stock holds near record as MSG Sports weighs Knicks-Rangers spinoff

MSG Sports shares edged up to $341.77 in premarket trading Thursday after closing at a record high on news the company may split the Knicks and Rangers into separate public firms. The board approved exploring a tax-free spin-off, but set no timetable and said league approvals are needed. CFO Victoria Mink will depart after helping with the process. The company stressed there is no assurance a deal will occur.
February 19, 2026
AT&T stock slips before the bell as NYC pension funds sue over blocked diversity vote
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AT&T stock slips before the bell as NYC pension funds sue over blocked diversity vote

AT&T shares slipped 0.1% premarket Thursday after New York City pension funds sued to force a shareholder vote on workforce diversity disclosures. The suit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, challenges AT&T’s decision to block the proposal under a recent SEC policy change. CEO John Stankey converted restricted stock units and sold shares for tax withholding, according to a securities filing.
February 19, 2026
Nokia stock edges higher after Citymesh flips on “5G Core SaaS” with AWS
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Nokia stock edges higher after Citymesh flips on “5G Core SaaS” with AWS

Nokia shares rose 0.45% in Helsinki after Citymesh launched what Nokia called the world’s first commercial 5G core network delivered as software-as-a-service on AWS. The service runs across Belgian enterprise sites and supports a new mobile offer for small businesses. Investors await more details at MWC Barcelona in early March and Nokia’s April results.
February 19, 2026
Palantir stock rises premarket on Mizuho upgrade as Miami HQ move keeps spotlight on AI name
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Palantir stock rises premarket on Mizuho upgrade as Miami HQ move keeps spotlight on AI name

Palantir shares rose 1.8% premarket Thursday after Mizuho upgraded the stock to “outperform.” The move follows Palantir’s announcement this week to relocate its headquarters from Denver to Miami. Investors weighed the upgrade against ongoing valuation concerns after a sharp run-up over the past year. The company has not detailed operational changes tied to the move.
February 19, 2026
Nestlé stock jumps on ice cream sale talks, recall update and 2026 outlook
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Nestlé stock jumps on ice cream sale talks, recall update and 2026 outlook

Nestlé shares rose 2.8% in Zurich after the company reported better-than-expected Q4 organic sales and said it is in advanced talks to sell its remaining ice cream businesses. Full-year organic sales growth reached 3.5% on 89.5 billion Swiss francs in revenue. The company guided for 2026 organic growth of 3%-4%. Analysts flagged execution risks and lingering effects from a recent infant formula recall.
February 19, 2026
Western Digital stock rises as Sandisk prices $545 share sale that wipes $3.1B of WDC debt
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Western Digital stock rises as Sandisk prices $545 share sale that wipes $3.1B of WDC debt

Western Digital shares rose 4.4% in after-hours trading after Sandisk priced a $3.17 billion secondary offering tied to a debt-for-equity swap that will retire $3.1 billion of Western Digital loans. The offering, set to close Feb. 19, involves no cash proceeds for either company. Sandisk shares were up 1.6%. Investors are watching Western Digital’s next steps on its remaining Sandisk stake.
February 19, 2026
GOOG stock price today: Alphabet Class C nudges up as Google unveils America‑India Connect AI infrastructure plan
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GOOG stock price today: Alphabet Class C nudges up as Google unveils America‑India Connect AI infrastructure plan

Alphabet’s Class C shares (GOOG) closed up 0.37% at $303.94 and edged to $304.19 after hours as Google announced a $15 billion “America-India Connect” AI infrastructure push and new $60 million Google.org AI funding. The company set Google I/O for May 19-20. Investors remain focused on Alphabet’s AI spending and a March 2 EU feedback deadline on search ad auctions.
February 19, 2026
Sandisk stock price swings after Western Digital prices $3.17 billion share sale at $545
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Sandisk stock price swings after Western Digital prices $3.17 billion share sale at $545

Western Digital priced a $3.17 billion secondary sale of 5.82 million Sandisk shares at $545 each, set to settle Feb. 19. Sandisk shares rose 1.6% to $600.40 in after-hours trading, with about 25 million shares changing hands. Western Digital will retain 1.69 million Sandisk shares after the deal. The sale swaps shares for debt held by J.P. Morgan and BofA Securities.
February 18, 2026
Bloom Energy stock jumps 6% as data-center power squeeze returns to focus
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Bloom Energy stock jumps 6% as data-center power squeeze returns to focus

Bloom Energy shares climbed about 6% to $154.08 in afternoon trading Wednesday, outpacing other fuel-cell stocks. Two executives, Shawn Soderberg and Aman Joshi, filed Form 144 notices to sell small blocks of stock. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker proposed suspending data center tax incentives for two years, citing energy concerns. Zeo Energy signed a deal to develop 280 MW of power for a Utah data center.
February 18, 2026
ServiceNow stock price ticks up as CEO lines up $3 million buy and executives scrap sale plans
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ServiceNow stock price ticks up as CEO lines up $3 million buy and executives scrap sale plans

ServiceNow shares rose about 1% to $106.98 Wednesday after a regulatory filing showed CEO Bill McDermott plans to buy $3 million of stock on Feb. 27. Several top executives, including McDermott, ended preset 10b5-1 selling plans. Traders are watching for the Form 4 disclosure after the scheduled purchase. The stock is down about 30% year-to-date.
February 18, 2026
Why Palo Alto Networks stock is down: PANW deal costs squeeze the profit outlook
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Why Palo Alto Networks stock is down: PANW deal costs squeeze the profit outlook

Palo Alto Networks shares fell 5.7% to $154.22 after the company cut its annual adjusted profit forecast to $3.65–$3.70 per share, citing higher integration costs from acquisitions. Fiscal Q2 revenue rose 15% to $2.594 billion. Acquisition-related costs jumped to $24 million from $10 million a year earlier. The company raised its revenue outlook to as much as $11.31 billion for fiscal 2026.
February 18, 2026
Walmart stock price slides in New York trade as earnings, CEO outlook near
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Walmart stock price slides in New York trade as earnings, CEO outlook near

Walmart shares slipped 1.1% to $127.43 in New York trading Wednesday, underperforming a rising S&P 500. Options markets are pricing in a 5% swing after Thursday’s earnings, the first annual forecast under new CEO John Furner. Leadership changes include David Guggina, a former Amazon executive, taking over Walmart U.S. Fourth-quarter revenue is expected at $190.43 billion, according to LSEG data.
February 18, 2026
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