Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading higher after a sluggish start to the holiday-shortened trading week. While stocks started as if it were going to be another risk-off day, they turned positive by late morning, and all the indices ended the day modestly higher. With a trove of economic data on the way, and fourth-quarter earnings all but over, the unofficial earnings season will close when Walmart reports after the bell on Thursday. You can bet that all eyes will be focused on the upcoming data, and the continued weakness in the Nasdaq, which closed down for the fifth straight week last Friday. The Nasdaq traded higher on Tuesday, closing at 22,578, up 0.14%. The Dow Jones Industrials closed at 49,533, up 0.07%, while the S&P 500 closed at 6,843, up 0.10%. The only loser for Tuesday was the small-cap Russell 2000, which closed down 0.11% at 2,646.
Treasury Bonds:
Yields were slightly higher across the curve as sellers swooped in to take some profit after a solid move higher for the Treasury market last week. With yields on some Treasury debt at their lowest of the year, it has become clear that the safe-haven allure of government bonds has been the major theme for 2026, at least so far. The 30-year-long bond closed at 4.69%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.06%.
Oil and Gas:
Oil prices were lower after a nice move higher last week. While the report that Iran had closed some of the Strait of Hormuz was a surprise, talks between the United States and Iran appear to be going in the right direction, which was all sellers needed, given the prevailing narrative that the market is globally oversupplied. Brent Crude finished the day at $67.32, down 1.94%, while West Texas Intermediate closed Tuesday at $62.23, down 1.05%. Natural gas was hit harder, closing down 6.2% at $3.04.
Gold:
Gold and Silver both started the week on the wrong foot, as the likely combination of profit-taking and short sellers delivered a one-two punch to the precious metals. The last print for Gold was recorded at $4,876, down 2.31%, while Silver ended Tuesday at $73.36, down 4.16%.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrency markets traded lower on Tuesday as Bitcoin hovered around the $67,000–$68,000 range for much of the day, reflecting an ongoing, cautious sideways trend that has persisted for some time. Reports indicate that approximately $221 million in total positions were liquidated over the previous 24 hours, reflecting continued volatility, with Bitcoin and Ethereum accounting for the majority of these liquidations. At 8 AM EST, Bitcoin was trading at $67,530, while Ethereum was quoted at $1,986.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports daily to identify new investment ideas for both investors and traders. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock.
Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Cadence Design Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Rosenblatt, which lifted the target price to $360 from $335.
- Magna International Inc. (NYSE: MGA) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at CIBC, which raised the target price for the stock to $76 from $56.
- Medpace Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDP) was raised to Hold from Sell at TD Cowen, which lowered the target price for the shares to $419 from $462.
- Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR | PLTR Price Prediction) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral by Mizuho, with a $195 target price.
- StubHub Holdings Inc. (NYSE: STUB) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Citigroup, with a $9 target price.
Downgrades:
- Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Williams Trading, with an $84 target price.
- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Truist, which cut the target price to $127 from $162.
- IHS Holding LTD. (NYSE: IHS) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at TD Cowen, which slashed the target price to $8.50 from $17.
- Knife River Corp. (NYSE: KNF) was cut to Underweight from Equal Weight at Wells Fargo, which bumped the target price for the shares to $81 from $75.
- Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, which moved the target price for the stock to $6 from $4.50.
Initiations:
- CSW Industrials Inc. (NYSE: CSW) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Baird, which has a $378 target price for the company.
- Kratos Defense and Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) was initiated with a Neutral rating at UBS, with a $79 target price.
- Medtronic Plc (NYSE: MDT) was resumed in coverage with an Outperform rating at Mizhou, with a $125 target price objective.
- Modine Manufacturing Company (NYSE: MOD) was started with a Buy rating at Roth Capital with a $263 target price.
- Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ: NBIS) was initiated witha Buy rating at Compass Point, which has set a $150 target price for the stock.
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks