The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0830 GMT - International Consolidated Airlines--which houses British Airways and Iberia among other carriers--posted record operating profit for 2025, strong cash generation, and lower net debt, Interactive Investor's Richard Hunter says. The strength of IAG's premium cabin offering has more than offset any weakness of demand on economy flights to the U.S., he adds. British Airways continues to deliver the highest returns within the group, Hunter notes. Tough competition and economic pressure remain as potential headwinds, alongside geopolitical concerns, he adds. Shares are up 0.85% at 4.61 pounds. (cristina.gallardo@wsj.com)
0827 GMT - Wilmar International's earnings are likely to be flat in 2026, say DBS Group Research analysts in a note. While the Singapore-listed agribusiness' profit could be supported by improving palm-oil refining margins, the analysts' margin projections are more conservative than consensus amid an elevated crude palm-oil price outlook, they say. The company likely still needs time to deliver solid core net profit from consumer products before further stock valuation rerating, the analysts add. DBS is reviewing its hold rating and S$3.00 target price. Shares rise 0.3% to S$3.51.(megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0822 GMT - Geely Automobile remains strong in terms of its long-term value of its EV brands Galaxy, Zeekr and Lynk&Co, says Morningstar analyst Vincent Sun. The Chinese automaker finished 2025 with vehicle sales of 1.3 million units, up 7% on year, but underperformed China's passenger vehicle growth of 9%, he says. The company's vehicle margin faces challenges as competition is leading to heavy price discounts, he says. Morningstar maintains a cautious view on the company's profitability and expect depressed vehicle margins to remain, given the competition in the domestic market, he adds. The vehicle volume growth will continue to underperform due to a lack of new model launches. That said, Geely remains Morningstar's top pick in the China auto sector on its long-term value.(jiahui.huang@wsj.com; @ivy_jiahuihuang)
0820 GMT - Delta Electronics maintains a solid position in the power and thermal segment of the AI supply chain, Daiwa analysts say in a research note. Delta provides high-voltage direct current power distribution systems that deliver electricity from the grid to servers and GPU clusters as well as liquid-cooling solutions in AI data centers. The analysts lift their 2027 earnings forecast for Delta by 30% to factor in higher HVDC contribution. Daiwa thinks 800V HVDC could start to contribute to Delta's revenue in 2H 2027, adding that the average selling price of 800V HVDC should grow at least five times to US$300,000. Daiwa maintains a buy call on Delta and raises the target price to NT$1,660 from NT$1,400. Shares last ended at NT$1,430.00 (sherry.qin@wsj.com)
0814 GMT - Rightmove's strong results confirm its model's resilience in a world filled with advanced AI systems and large language models, Bernstein analysts say in a note. The property website also announced a 90 million-pound buyback--around 3% of its market cap--that will be welcomed by the market, the analysts say. The London-listed company reported revenue of 425 million pounds and guides for 2026 revenue growth of 8% to 10% versus consensus estimates of 8.7% growth, Bernstein says. "We don't expect material changes to consensus estimates on this update," the analysts say. Shares are up 5.9% at 454.10 pence. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)
0802 GMT - Bitcoin rises marginally but continues to struggle for a meaningful recovery after U.S. stocks closed mostly lower overnight. Nvidia shares fell Thursday despite strong earnings on Wednesday, dragging the Nasdaq composite more than 1% lower. The S&P 500 also dropped 0.5% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed little changed. "The upbeat earnings and outlook from Nvidia failed to ease market concerns," Jefferies economist Mohit Kumar says in a note. Worries about returns on capital expenditure in artificial intelligence, the potential disruption of the technology and private credit exposure to software are weighing on market sentiment, he says. Geopolitical risks related to Iran-U.S. tensions add to investor nervousness, he says. Bitcoin edges up 0.2% to $67,622, LSEG data show. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
0739 GMT - Trip.com's shares have likely priced in the ongoing probe by Chinese regulators, say DBS Group Research analysts in a note. While the stock may be volatile until the investigation is clarified or settled, the decline of around 30% since the probe's announcement seems to have priced in its potential drag to earnings, they say. The analysts view the pullback as an opportunity for long-term investors to accumulate on Trip.com's shares, as the online travel agency remains well-positioned to benefit from Chinese travel-demand growth. DBS maintains its buy rating and HK$563.00 target price on Trip.com's Hong Kong-listed shares. It also retains its US$72.00 target price on the ADRs. The Hong Kong shares rise 2.4% to HK$410.00 while the ADRs last closed at US$52.27. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0735 GMT - Swiss Re's extra $1 billion share buyback, on top of the $500 million program outlined in December, increases its earnings per share by 2%, RBC Capital Markets says in a research note. This estimate doesn't take into account the strengthening of the Swiss franc against the dollar, analysts say. The Zurich-based reinsurer published fourth-quarter results with a better-than-feared fall in net profit on slightly lower-than-expected revenue and a miss to its Swiss Solvency Test ratio. (elena.vardon@wsj.com)
0733 GMT - Chinese equities are likely to strengthen in coming months, helped by a rally in AI related companies, Capital Economics says in a note. Economist Elias Hilmer says Chinese stocks have struggled to advance so far this year, partly weighed by the broader U.S. tech selloff. However, while weakness in the U.S. has been broad-based, declines in China have been concentrated in the communication services sector. Hilmer adds that concerns weighing on U.S. tech stocks, such as overstretched valuations and the sustainability of earnings growth, are less pronounced in China, where risks of capital misallocation are lower and stock valuations remain near historical medians. "Overall, the weak start to the year for Chinese equities appears overdone," CE says.(jason.chau@wsj.com)
0712 GMT - Holcim posted a robust set of fourth-quarter results, RBC Capital Markets analyst Anthony Codling says in a research note. The Swiss building-material company has a strong record of delivery, and a strong balance sheet provides flexibility in the year ahead to fund growth capital expenditure and mergers and acquisitions, Codling says. While RBC doesn't expect significant changes to consensus estimates, the risks are to the upside rather than downside, the analyst adds. Meanwhile, share price volatility is expected to remain until there is more certainty around the European Union's plans for changes to the carbon market. (nina.kienle@wsj.com)
0649 GMT - S Hotels and Resorts' outlook remains positive despite a one-off impairment loss in 4Q, CGS International's Thanapol Jiratanakij says in a research report. This week, the company signed a share sale agreement to dispose of its entire stake in Jupiter Hotels in the U.K., which have been classified as noncore owing to their non-prime locations, the analyst notes. Management assessed the carrying value of assets held for disposal against estimated net proceeds from a sale and recognized the difference as impairment loss in 4Q. The brokerage is positive on the disposal. It raises the stock's target price to THB3.00 from THB2.30 with an unchanged add rating. Shares are 5.5% higher at THB1.91. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
0618 GMT - CSE Global may benefit from ramp-up in data centers this year, Maybank Research's Jarick Seet says in a research report. The systems solutions provider has an order book of S$709.5 million as of Dec. 31, the analyst says. The new lease site for its key data center client will be ready by April, after which the company's revenue from this client will increase substantially. CSE Global secured a US$143 million order in December 2025 from this client. Maybank Research lifts its 2026 and 2027 PATMI forecasts for CSE Global by 10.5% and 23.8%, respectively. It raises the stock's target price to S$1.52 from S$1.20 with an unchanged buy rating. Shares are 3.1% higher at S$1.32. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 27, 2026 03:31 ET (08:31 GMT)
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