Investments 21 February 2026 - 25 February 2026

Walmart shares closed up 1.2% at $127.26 Tuesday after Barclays raised its price target to $132, then slipped 0.4% in after-hours trading. The move followed a quarterly report showing $190.7 billion in revenue and 24% global e-commerce growth. Investors are watching defensive retail stocks as consumer confidence rises but job market signals soften. Walmart forecast fiscal 2027 net sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5%.

JTC shares rose 0.15% to 1,300p in early London trading Tuesday. Societe Generale cut its stake to 4.798%, while Barclays, FIL, FMR, Tudor, and Jefferies filed takeover-related disclosures. The agreed sale to Permira’s Papilio Bidco remains on track for third-quarter completion. Investors await further filings and JTC’s full-year results on April 7.

Experian shares fell 0.5% to 2,511 pence in early London trading Tuesday after announcing a new tranche of share buybacks and the acquisition of AtData, an email-based identity intelligence firm. The company bought back 399,019 shares on Monday and will cancel them. Experian shares are down about 34% over the past year. Investors await full-year results in May.

Verizon shares rose 0.9% to $49.68 in late trading Monday after the company closed €2.25 billion and £600 million in junior subordinated note sales due 2056. Buyers included Barclays, Merrill Lynch International, and Citigroup. Verizon said proceeds may go toward general corporate purposes, including debt repayment. CFO Tony Skiadas is set to speak at a Barclays conference Tuesday morning.

Coca-Cola shares rose 1.3% to $80.84 late Monday, reaching a session high as U.S. stocks broadly fell. Argus raised its price target on the stock to $89. Investors are watching the March 13 record date for a higher dividend and the March 31 CEO transition. PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper also gained, outperforming the wider market.

Johnson & Johnson shares rose 1.3% to $245.62 Monday after the EU approved expanded subcutaneous dosing for its lung-cancer drug Rybrevant. The company also faces a new lawsuit from Bayer over prostate-cancer drug marketing. U.S. stocks broadly fell. Johnson & Johnson did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.

Orica closed down 1.2% at A$24.45 on Monday, lagging the ASX 200’s 0.61% drop. The company spent A$5.3 million on buybacks Feb. 20, bringing total repurchases to about A$458.4 million. Director Vikas Bansal bought 16,750 shares at A$23.88 each, raising his indirect holding to 21,116 shares.

Brambles shares rose 1.2% to A$24.52 on Monday, outperforming a falling S&P/ASX 200. The company lodged filings to quote 15,047 new shares under its employee incentive plan. Broker Jarden raised its target price to A$25.60, citing strong operating leverage. Investors are watching the pace of buybacks and the March 11 ex-dividend date.

QBE Insurance shares rose 3.5% to A$22.23 in Sydney, outperforming a falling S&P/ASX 200. The insurer reported 2025 net profit of US$2.157 billion, up from US$1.779 billion, and a lower combined operating ratio of 91.9%. QBE agreed to sell its Global Trade Credit and Surety business to Swiss Re Corporate Solutions. Shares go ex-dividend March 5, with payment set for April 17.

Taiwan’s stock market reopens Monday after the Lunar New Year break, with a new 15% U.S. global import tariff set to take effect Tuesday. TAIEX last closed at 33,605.71 on Feb. 11; TSMC ended at T$1,915. The trading week is shortened by a Feb. 27 holiday. Taiwan’s cabinet said the initial tariff impact appears limited but will monitor developments.

Brazil’s Ibovespa closed Friday at a record 190,534.42, up 1.06%, led by Vale and major banks. The real ended at 5.1766 per dollar, its strongest since May 2024, as U.S. tariff policy shifted. Vale rose 3.23%, Itaú Unibanco gained 1.40%, and Bradesco’s preferred shares added 2.02%. The Ibovespa saw intraday swings from 186,700.34 to 190,726.78.

South Korea’s KOSPI closed at a record 5,808.53 on Friday, up 2.31%, while the KOSDAQ slipped 0.58%. BlackRock Fund Advisors disclosed a stake above 5% in SK hynix, valued at $23.9 billion. The VKOSPI volatility index hit 43.87 as investors shifted to dividend-linked trades. The Bank of Korea is expected to hold rates at 2.5% on Thursday.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing shares closed at HK$407.80 on Friday, down 0.25%, ahead of annual results due Thursday. Officials highlighted 24 new listings raising over HK$87 billion so far this year, with 488 companies in the IPO queue. The Hang Seng Index fell 1.1% in the first session of the Year of the Horse. The London Metal Exchange confirmed new permanent restrictions on large long positions.

Procter & Gamble shares closed Friday at $160.78, up 1.4%, with about 11.5 million shares traded. Executives highlighted Tide Evo’s national rollout and forecast “sequential improvement” in the second half of fiscal 2026. Shailesh Jejurikar will become CEO on Jan. 1, replacing Jon Moeller. Investors await Tuesday’s U.S. consumer confidence data for signs of demand.