Wall Street closed higher on Wednesday, as investors assessed fourth-quarter earnings results and fresh economic data. The Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500, and the Dow all finished in positive territory.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 0.6%, or 307.65 points, to close at 49,482.15. Thirteen components of the 30-stock index ended in positive territory, while seventeen ended in negative territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.3%, or finished at 288.40 points, to close at 23,152.08.
The S&P 500 gained 0.8%, to end at 6,946.13. Of the 11 broad sectors of the broad-market index, five ended in positive territory, while six ended in the negative zone. The Information Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK), the Financials Select Sector SPDR (XLF) and the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) rose 1.8%, 1.7% and 0.9%, respectively, while the Industrials Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 0.8%.
The fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), decreased by 8.3% to 17.93. A total of 17.50 billion shares were traded on Wednesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 20.27 billion. The S&P 500 posted 50 new 52-week highs and nine new lows, and the Nasdaq Composite recorded 127 new highs and 94 new lows.
Q4 Earnings Results
United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR – Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of $7.7 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.78 per share. Revenues of $790.2 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.88%.
Photronics, Inc. (PLAB – Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of $0.61 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.54 per share. Revenues came in at $225.07 million, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.66%.
Owens Corning (OC – Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of $1.1 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.33 per share. Revenues of $2.14 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.57%.
Consequently, shares of United Therapeutics Corporation and Photronics, Inc. rose 13% and 14.7%, respectively, while Owens Corning fell 2.5%. Photronics Energy carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Economic Data
Per a government report, for the week ending Feb. 20, 2026, U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) increased by 16 million barrels from the previous week. Last week’s number remained unrevised at a decrease of 9 million barrels.
