Stock Market News for February 16, 2026

M&A and corporate moves

ZIM (ZIM) agreed to be acquired by Hapag-Lloyd for $35.00 per share in cash, valuing the deal at about $4.2 billion; a newly formed Israeli company, "New ZIM," will acquire parts of ZIM's business. The deal reshapes container shipping consolidation and could affect freight capacity and rates—key inputs for transport-sensitive stocks and earnings forecasts.

Armada Hoffler (AHH) reported Q4 2025 results and unveiled a strategic rebrand to AH Realty Trust. Earnings and the new direction suggest management is prioritizing long-term shareholder value through portfolio repositioning—watch for guidance changes and asset-level disclosures.

Defense and aerospace

L3Harris (LHX) won a contract to power THAAD interceptors, reinforcing its role in missile-defense systems. The award is a government-funded revenue stream that can support backlog and margin visibility for defense suppliers, often viewed defensively by investors amid macro uncertainty.

Travel, leisure and industrial fleet

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) struck an agreement with Fincantieri for three new cruise ships. Fleet expansion implies capital commitments but also capacity for future revenue growth if demand stays resilient—important for earnings and leverage outlooks at cruise operators.

Food, consumer staples and industrial capacity

Smithfield Foods (SFD) will build a new state-of-the-art processing facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The plant reflects investment in supply-chain resilience and capacity expansion, which can improve margins and meet demand for protein producers over time.

AI, chips and enterprise tools

AMD (AMD) and TCS are deploying the “Helios” rack-scale AI architecture in India, expanding AMD’s datacenter footprint and targeting enterprise AI demand—an important growth vector as investors watch capex for large-scale AI infrastructure.

HPE (HPE) said its self-driving network helped transform Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium to enhance the fan experience. The deployment highlights how network automation and AIOps can drive differentiated services for large venues and carrier customers.

TTEC (TTEC) rolled out TTEC Perform™ and TTEC RealSkill™, positioning the CX vendor as a provider of AI-driven frontline tools that could boost recurring revenue if adoption rises across contact centers.

Linkhome (LHAI) launched an AI agent to streamline home-buying and financing. For proptech investors, this signals deeper AI penetration into transaction workflows and potential partnerships with lenders and brokerages.

Payments and consumer finance

Klarna (KLAR) is now available on Google Pay in the UK, broadening checkout reach and potentially lifting merchant adoption and consumer usage—key metrics in BNPL valuations.

Visa (V) noted Italy saw an economic boost from the opening weekend of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Event-driven card spend can temporarily lift volumes and merchant category performance, feeding into short-term revenue for payments firms.

Housing and real estate signals

Rocket Homes (RKT) reported that all-cash home purchases fell to a five-year low in 2025. A decline in all-cash buying can signal cooling investor demand and has implications for pricing dynamics, mortgage volumes and transaction mix—items investors track for consumer and housing-exposed stocks.

The Linkhome AI agent ties into this theme by showing how proptech is automating transactions, a trend that could influence margins and conversion rates for online real-estate platforms.

Biotech and pharma: regulatory wins and trial data

Eli Lilly (LLY) reported Retevmo (selpercatinib) showed a substantial event-free survival benefit as adjuvant therapy in early-stage RET fusion-positive lung cancer. Positive adjuvant results can expand label opportunity and lift long-term revenue potential for oncology franchises.

Bio-Techne (TECH) announced CE-IVD marking for its Ella platform, widening access to rapid immunoassays in Europe and potentially accelerating consumables revenue for the diagnostic platform.

Compass Pathways (CMPS) said it will announce new clinical data from two Phase 3 trials—upcoming readouts that can act as binary catalysts for sentiment in clinical-stage psychopharmacology names.

Earnings, calendars and corporate headlines

• TaskUs (TASK) will release Q4 and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 25, 2026. Outsourcing providers' results often highlight trends in digital services demand and margin leverage.
• GRAIL (GRAL) plans to announce Q4 and full-year 2025 results, a key update for investors watching revenue mix and testing volumes.
• Sonoco (SON) reported Q4 and full-year 2025 results. Packaging companies' top-line and commodity-cost trends matter for margin outlooks across consumer-packaged-goods suppliers.
• Myriad Genetics (MYGN) set a date to release Q4 and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 23, 2026, adding to the near-term calendar of diagnostics and testing names.
• Portland General Electric (POR) revised its earnings release and conference call to Feb. 17 at 8am ET. Schedule shifts can affect trading around utilities as investors digest guidance and regulatory updates.
• C3is Inc. (CISS) set the date to release Q4 and full-year 2025 results, a small-cap scheduling item for near-term catalysts.
• Acurx Pharmaceuticals (ACXP) remains on the calendar with a conference call on March 13 to review FY and Q4 2025 results.

Energy & renewables

ReNew (RNW) released Q3 FY26 and nine-month results, where project delivery and power-supply contracts will determine sentiment for renewables names reliant on execution and offtake deals.

FirstEnergy (FE) and Transource Energy said their joint venture received approval for a major electric transmission project in central Ohio. Approvals for big transmission builds can unlock rate-base growth and are material for utilities and transmission owners focused on grid expansion and reliability.

Industrial services and leadership moves

Brink’s (BCO) named Adrian Button as EVP and President of Brink’s North America. Executive changes can hint at strategic shifts in operations, with potential effects on margins and regional growth plans.

Products, tools and corporate tech

Westlake Royal Building Products (WLK) launched a new website featuring an AI design tool and introduced a 5/8" lap siding profile for TruExterior® (product release). The AI design experience is a small but notable example of traditional manufacturers using digital tools to improve customer engagement and drive e-commerce conversions.

Mining and legal timelines

Northern Dynasty (NAK) provided an update on timelines for a summary-judgement case. Legal scheduling can be a high-impact driver for mining and resource companies, influencing valuation through project uncertainty and permitting timelines.

Clinical communications and market positioning

Regulatory wins, trial updates and AI integrations are shaping company narratives across sectors. Investors should watch upcoming earnings, trial readouts and regulatory milestones as the next set of catalysts likely to move stocks and revise market outlooks.