Top 10 things to watch Tuesday, Feb. 17 1. Stocks were poised for a lower open to kick off the holiday-shortened trading week. Selling in the Nasdaq is poised to be slightly worse than the S & P 500 as artificial intelligence disruption fears continued to impact tech names. Palo Alto Networks announced this morning plans to buy Israeli cybersecurity startup Koi, known for its agentic endpoint security. Club name Palo Alto is expected to talk about the deal further on tonight’s post-earnings conference call. In his Sunday column , Jim Cramer tries to make sense of the winners and losers in the AI trade. In a bonus Monday column , Jim talks about how the Club will get through what is shaping up to be a rough patch for Nvidia . 2. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that activist Elliott Investment Management has taken a more than 10% stake in Norwegian Cruise Line with plans to turn around the underperforming cruise-ship operator. Shares of the Oceania Cruises owner were up more than 6%. 3. Melius upgraded Chevron to a buy from hold, with a price target boost to $205 from $162. Analysts believe the global energy company is well-positioned to increase shareholder returns, in part, due to Venezuela as a major driver of growth. 4. Club holding Apple has invited members of the press to what it calls a “special Apple experience” in New York City, London, and Shanghai on March 4. The tech behemoth is rumored to be planning to unveil new products, which could include a lower-priced iPhone, a faster iPad, and a cheaper MacBook. 5. Netflix has granted Warner Bros. Discover y a seven-day waiver to reopen deal talks with Paramount Skydance . WBD has agreed to be bought by Netflix. Paramount has launched a hostile bid for WBD. The waiver gives Paramount a chance to make its “best and final offer.” Shares of WBD and Paramount were up more than 2% and 3%, respectively, on the news. Netflix was up modestly. 6. General Mills lowered its full-year adjusted earnings per share and organic net sales forecasts before delivering a presentation this morning at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference. The stock fell more than 3.5% on the news. 7. Citigroup was named a top pick at Morgan Stanley, with analysts raising their price target to a new Street high of $152. Citi holds an Investor Day on May 7. Morgan Stanley also upgraded Truist Financial to a buy from hold, while raising its PT on the stock to $69 from $56. 8. UBS upgraded Southwest Airlines to a buy from hold. The analysts, who also raised their price target to $73 from $51, see a potential earnings boost from plans for extra legroom, assigned seating, and checked bag fees. 9. Rothschild upgraded Dollar Tree to a buy from hold and increased its price target to $165 from $75. The analysts said that the retailer deserves a higher multiple following the Family Dollar sale. Rothschild downgraded Dollar General to a sell from hold with a $111 price target. 10. Medtronic reported beats on fiscal 2026 third-quarter revenue and EPS. The medical device maker maintained its full-year outlook, reaffirming that the forecast includes a potential tariff impact of roughly $185 million, unchanged from its prior guidance. Shares lost 3%. Sign up for my Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free (See here for a full list of the stocks at Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
The Investing Club’s top 10 things to watch in the stock market Tuesday
Feb 17, 2026
