Investments 23 February 2026 - 26 February 2026

Palantir shares fell 3.4% after hours to $134.19 following a series of insider stock sales and news of a defense partnership with GE Aerospace. CEO Alex Karp sold 493,025 shares on Feb. 20 to cover taxes after RSUs vested, with other executives also disclosing sales. The iShares tech-software ETF dropped 4.7% on the day. Palantir forecast Q1 revenue of $1.53–$1.54 billion and 2026 revenue near $7.2 billion.

XWELL Inc shares surged 124% to about $0.85 in premarket trading Wednesday after announcing a $31.3 million private placement with American Ventures, LLC. The deal involves Series H convertible preferred stock and warrants, priced “at the market.” XWELL closed Tuesday at $0.378, giving it a market value near $2.18 million. The company plans to use proceeds for debt repayment, redemptions, and working capital.

Haleon shares dropped 4% to 389.30 pence in early London trading after the company forecast slower 2026 organic revenue growth of 3–5%, below its medium-term target. The Sensodyne maker cited weak U.S. demand and a mild cold-and-flu season. 2025 revenue slipped 1.8% to £11.03 billion. Haleon plans a £500 million buyback and proposed a 7.1 pence dividend.

HSBC’s Hong Kong shares closed up 4% after the bank raised its profitability target and set 2026 guidance for interest income, costs, and credit charges. The bank said it will pause new share buybacks until its core capital ratio returns to the target range, following the Hang Seng Bank deal. Annual pretax profit fell 7% to $29.9 billion due to $4.9 billion in one-off charges, but beat consensus by about $1 billion.

Zip Co shares jumped 9.4% to A$1.75, reversing recent losses after Australian Retirement Trust disclosed a 5.145% stake. Trading volume reached 39.6 million shares. The company’s A$50 million buyback is set to begin in March. Investors await Zip’s next update on April 17.

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.