Market Signal Briefing

President Donald Trump announced “Project Vault” on February 2, creating a $12 billion U.S. critical mineral reserve. The news sent Critical Metals Corp. (CRML) surging 35% in a single trading session, and investors are now racing to understand which rare earth stocks could benefit most.

With the federal government potentially becoming one of the sector’s largest customers, rare earth mining and processing companies are attracting serious attention.

Here are the seven most important questions investors are asking about rare earth stocks, and the answers you need.

1. Why Are Rare Earth Stocks Suddenly Getting So Much Attention? These aren’t typical mining plays. Rare earth companies sit at the intersection of AI infrastructure, national security, and geopolitics.

Project Vault commits $12 billion to stockpiling strategic minerals, turning Washington into a major buyer. When government procurement enters a sector, companies suddenly have creditworthy customers and predictable revenue streams.

That’s why CRML jumped 35% on the announcement alone. Investors realized the federal government was about to start writing checks.

Learn more about why rare earths are the “picks and shovels” play of the AI boom →

2. What Does Project Vault Mean for Rare Earth Investors? Think of it as a Strategic Petroleum Reserve for minerals instead of oil.

The program uses $10 billion in Export-Import Bank financing plus $2 billion in private capital to purchase materials like neodymium, dysprosium, and lithium. These elements power AI data centers, EV motors, and defense systems.

By guaranteeing federal purchases, Project Vault provides the demand certainty that mining projects need to secure financing and move forward.

See how Project Vault aims to secure U.S. rare earth supply →

3. Why Does China’s Dominance Matter? China controls roughly 70% of global rare earth mining and 90% of refining capacity.

For decades, Beijing invested heavily while Western producers exited due to low prices and environmental costs. The result is that America’s most critical industries depend on a single foreign supplier that has already shown willingness to restrict exports during trade disputes.

Without access to these materials, AI infrastructure, EV manufacturing, and military hardware production all face genuine constraints.

Get the full breakdown of rare earths’ role in AI infrastructure and national security →

4. Which Rare Earth Stocks Are Positioned to Benefit? Several U.S. and allied companies operate in spaces Washington is now prioritizing:

MP Materials (MP) operates America’s only functioning rare earth mine at Mountain Pass, California, and is expanding into refining.

USA Rare Earth (USAR) is developing the Round Top project in Texas, focusing on heavy rare earths used in military applications.

Energy Fuels (UUUU) runs rare earth processing at its White Mesa Mill in Utah, one of few U.S. facilities capable of producing separated oxides.

Critical Metals Corp (CRML) controls the Tanbreez deposit in Greenland as the U.S. seeks allied supply sources.

American Rare Earths (ARRN) is advancing Halleck Creek in Wyoming as defense procurement rules increasingly exclude Chinese materials.

Read more about 5 top rare earth stocks for 2026 →

5. Are There Plays Beyond the Mining Companies? Yes. Building domestic rare earth capacity requires significant industrial infrastructure.

Olin (OLN) supplies specialized chemicals for rare earth processing. Caterpillar (CAT) provides heavy equipment for mine development. Fluor (FLR) designs and constructs the processing facilities where raw ore becomes usable materials.

The opportunity extends beyond miners to the entire industrial ecosystem required to build a functional supply chain.

See 3 mining infrastructure plays to watch in 2026 →

6. What’s the Timeframe for This Opportunity? Don’t expect overnight transformation. Industry analysts estimate three to seven years before meaningful domestic capacity comes online.

Mining projects face permitting delays, environmental reviews, and capital requirements that run into hundreds of millions. What’s changed isn’t the timeline but the risk profile. Federal backing reduces financing uncertainty and provides revenue visibility.

Mining executive Robert Friedland recently noted that sentiment in the critical minerals sector has reached historic highs due to policy support backing these projects.

Get the timeline and risk assessment for rare earth stocks →

7. What Should Investors Watch Next? The core question is whether the U.S. can successfully rebuild domestic capacity for materials it now treats as national security priorities.

Rare earth elements are embedded in AI infrastructure, EV drivetrains, renewable energy systems, and military weapons. As demand grows across these sectors, companies positioned to mine, refine, and process outside Chinese control could benefit from sustained policy support.

Rare earth supply security is now a bipartisan priority. Both recent administrations have used Defense Production Act authority and export financing to accelerate critical mineral development.

For rare earth investors, this is less about chasing the next commodity boom and more about positioning for long-term policy support as supply chains shift.

Read the complete analysis of rare earth stocks and Project Vault’s implications →

On the date of publication, John Kilhefner did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

For investors, DraftKings has been anything but a sure bet.

The company reported earnings on Thursday, which showed revenue of nearly $2 billion—an increase of 43% year over year—and earnings per share of $0.25. “We closed 2025 on a high note. Fourth-quarter revenue increased 43% year over year, and we achieved records for revenue and adjusted EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization]. Our core business is strong as we enter 2026,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings’ chief executive officer and cofounder, in a statement included with the earnings release.

However, despite the strong numbers, DraftKings’ stock was down more than 15% during pre-trading on Friday morning, and is now down almost 30% since the beginning of the year. Further, over the past calendar year, it’s down more than 45%.

The catalyst? Future uncertainty. Specifically, the company is forecasting “a fiscal year 2026 revenue guidance range of $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion and a fiscal year 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance range of $700 million to $900 million,” which is below estimates and softer than anticipated. 

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The broader issue is that the sports gambling and prediction markets are evolving quickly, and there’s the distinct possibility that regulation could rein things in, or that individual states could start to tax the companies or users themselves to different degrees.

Further, prediction market companies like Kalshi and Polymarket are now in the fray, and both of those companies may offer users a different way to scratch their itch by offering betting products that are exempt from state taxes due to the way they’re structured. DraftKings, too, has a predictions app (DraftKings Predictions) available to users in 38 states, while its sports betting app is available in 28 states.

DraftKings isn’t alone in taking it on the chin from the markets. Flutter Entertainment, the largest sports betting stock by market capitalization, and the parent company of FanDuel and others, was likewise down more than 4% before the market opened on Friday, and down more than 35% year to date. MGM, which also runs a betting app, was down by a similar amount, as was Caesars.

The preferred-rate deadline for Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators Awards is Friday, February 20, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sam Becker is a freelance writer and journalist based near New York City. He is a native of the Pacific Northwest, and a graduate of Washington State University, and his work has appeared in and on Fortune, CNBC, TIME, and more. More

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Key Takeaways WAT beat Q4 estimates with EPS up 10.5% and sales rising 7% year over year. Pharma and Industrial sales rose 8%, while Europe revenues climbed 13% reported.WAT guides 2026 EPS to $14.30-$14.50 on 5.5-7% constant currency sales growth. Waters Corporation (WAT - Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2025 non-GAAP earnings of $4.53 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.67% and increased 10.5% year over year.

Net sales of $932.4 million topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.55%. The figure increased by 7% on a reported basis and 6% on a constant currency (cc) basis year over year.

Waters’ Q4 Top Line in DetailWAT operates under two organized segments: Waters and TA. The Waters segment generated sales worth $823.9 million, up 8% on a reported basis and 7% on a cc basis, year over year. Sales in the TA segment were $108.4 million, flat year over year on both a reported and cc basis.

Products & Services: The division comprises three segments: Instruments, Services and Chemistry. Instrument sales were $432.9 million, up 3% year over year on a reported and cc basis. Services sales were $329.1 million, which increased 9% year over year on a reported basis and 8% at cc. Chemistry sales were $170.3 million, which grew 13% on a reported basis and 12% at cc, year over year. The Services and Chemistry segments jointly generated recurring revenues of $499.5 million, up 10% year over year on a reported basis and 9% at cc.

Waters serves three end markets: Pharmaceutical, Industrial, and Governmental & Academic. The Pharmaceutical market generated sales of $540.6 million, which increased 8% on a year-over-year basis, reportedly, and 7% at cc. Industrial sales were $284.5 million, up 8% year over year on a reported and cc basis. Government & Academic sales decreased 2% reportedly and 3% at cc to $107.3 million.

Waters’ operating regions include Asia, the Americas and Europe. Asia generated sales of $283.9 million, up 4% and 11% on a reported and cc basis, respectively. Americas sales were $332.4 million, which increased 4% in both reported and cc terms. Europe generated sales of $315.9 million, which increased 13% reportedly and 4% at cc.

WAT’s Q4 Operating DetailsIn the fourth quarter of 2025, non-GAAP selling and administrative expenses were $191 million, up 13.3% year over year. As a percentage of net sales, the figure increased 120 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis.

Research and development expenses of $50.1 million, up 8.3% year over year. As a percentage of net sales, the figure expanded 10 bps year over year.

The adjusted operating margin was 35.2%, which contracted 20 bps year over year.

Waters Balance Sheet & Cash FlowAs of Dec. 31, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were $587.8 million, up from $459.1 million as of Sept. 27.

Waters generated cash from operations of $164.5 million in the reported quarter. The company reported a free cash flow of $125.2 million.

WAT Offers Q126 and FY26 GuidanceWaters expects first-quarter sales growth between 7% and 9% on a cc basis. Sales on an organic reported basis and reported basis are expected to be in the range of $718-$731 million and $1.19 billion to $1.21 billion, respectively.

Waters expects first-quarter 2026 non-GAAP earnings to be in the range of $2.25-$2.35 per share. This indicates year-over-year growth of approximately 0.0% to 4.4%.

For full-year 2026, Waters expects cc sales growth between 5.5% and 7%. Sales on an organic reported basis and reported basis are expected to be in the range of $3.35-$3.40 billion and $6.40 billion to $6.45 billion, respectively.

Waters expects non-GAAP earnings in the $14.30 to $14.50 per share range. This reflects year-over-year growth of approximately 8.9% to 10.4%.

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to ConsiderCurrently, Waters carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

AngioDynamics (ANGO - Free Report) , Alkermes (ALKS - Free Report) and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD - Free Report) are some other better-ranked stocks that investors can consider in the broader Zacks Medical sector.

AngioDynamics shares have increased 4.8% in the trailing 12-month period. The company is scheduled to release third-quarter 2026 results on April 1. ANGO sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Alkermes shares have dropped 7.5% in the trailing 12-month period. ALKS is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 25. Alkermes sports a Zacks Rank #1.

 Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has returned 129.4% in the trailing 12-month period. IRWD is set to report its fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 26. The company currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.

Key Takeaways Applied Materials saw profit jump more than 70% in the latest quarter, as demand for advanced, energy-efficient chips used in AI data centers continues to rise.The company expects its semiconductor equipment business to grow more than 20% this year.

Investopedia Answers

Wall Street is excited about Applied Materials' quarterly profits.

Shares of Applied Materials (AMAT) were recently up 9% after the maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment said profit soared more than 70% to $2.03 billion, or $2.45 a share, in the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year. Revenue declined 2% to $7.01 billion.

"The need for higher performance and more energy-efficient chips is driving high growth rates for leading-edge logic, high-bandwidth memory and advanced packaging,” CEO Gary Dickerson said in a press release. Dickerson said demand in those areas should help Applied Materials grow its semiconductor equipment business by more than 20% this year. 

Why This Matters The rapid build-out of AI data centers is boosting demand for chips and the specialized tools needed to make them. Applied Materials and other equipment makers are now at the center of the AI investment cycle.

The AI data center buildout has caused a spike in demand for more powerful, energy-efficient semiconductors. That’s been a boon to companies like Applied Materials whose equipment and processes enable the fabrication of said chips. 

Dickerson expects demand to remain strong through this year, when he estimates global semiconductor industry revenues will hit $1 trillion.

Applied Materials on Friday forecast current-quarter revenue will come in between $7.15 billion and $8.15 billion, with adjusted earnings per share of between $2.44 and $2.84. The upper-end of those ranges would represent double-digit growth on both metrics.

Applied Materials stock was already flying high heading into Friday’s report, with shares up nearly 28% since the start of the year. As of Friday afternoon, the stock is up about 95% in the last 12 months. 

The company was in the news earlier this week when the Department of Commerce announced Wednesday that Applied Materials will owe a $252 million penalty due to exporting chipmaking equipment illegally to a company in China.

Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at

[email protected]

L'Oréal remains fundamentally strong despite a Q4 2025 selloff driven by euro appreciation and minor misses versus expectations. Underlying like-for-like sales grew 4% for FY2025, with operating margins rising to 20.2% despite tariffs and currency headwinds. LRLCF's portfolio expansion, including a 50-year €4B luxury brand license with Kering, strengthens its leadership in luxury beauty.

Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC - Free Report) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This upgrade primarily reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.

The Zacks rating relies solely on a company's changing earnings picture. It tracks EPS estimates for the current and following years from the sell-side analysts covering the stock through a consensus measure -- the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Since a changing earnings picture is a powerful factor influencing near-term stock price movements, the Zacks rating system is very useful for individual investors. They may find it difficult to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts, as these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time.

As such, the Zacks rating upgrade for Lattice is essentially a positive comment on its earnings outlook that could have a favorable impact on its stock price.

Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock PricesThe change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, and the near-term price movement of its stock are proven to be strongly correlated. The influence of institutional investors has a partial contribution to this relationship, as these big professionals use earnings and earnings estimates to calculate the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their transaction of large amounts of shares then leads to price movement for the stock.

For Lattice, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade fundamentally mean an improvement in the company's underlying business. And investors' appreciation of this improving business trend should push the stock higher.

Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate RevisionsEmpirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, so it could be truly rewarding if such revisions are tracked for making an investment decision. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions.

The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Earnings Estimate Revisions for LatticeFor the fiscal year ending December 2026, this chipmaker is expected to earn $1.53 per share, which is unchanged compared with the year-ago reported number.

Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Lattice. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 10.2%.

Bottom LineUnlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of "buy" and "sell" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a "Strong Buy" rating and the next 15% get a "Buy" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term.

You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>>

The upgrade of Lattice to a Zacks Rank #1 positions it in the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term.

Q4: 2026-02-06 Earnings SummaryEPS of $1.99 beats by $0.37

 |

Revenue of

$2.28B

(-7.14% Y/Y)

beats by $75.58M

Biogen Inc. (BIIB) Piper Sandler Virtual Novel Targets in Immunology Symposium February 13, 2026 10:30 AM EST

Company Participants

Diana Gallagher - Head of AD, MS & Immunology Development Units

Conference Call Participants

David Amsellem - Piper Sandler & Co., Research Division

Presentation

David Amsellem
Piper Sandler & Co., Research Division

Okay, good morning, everyone. And as I keep saying this morning, happy Friday the 13th, but on a serious note, we're delighted to be hosting our Virtual Immunology Symposium. This is David Amsellem from the Piper Sandler Biopharma Research Team. And we're delighted to have Biogen with us for the next 25 minutes or so. So we have Dr. Diana Gallagher. She is the Head of Clinical Development for MS Immunology and Alzheimer's. So thanks so much, Diana, for taking the time to chat with us.

Certainly, there's a great deal going on regarding Biogen's immunology pipeline and some late-stage readouts that are coming.

Question-and-Answer Session

David Amsellem
Piper Sandler & Co., Research Division

Maybe I'll start with your lupus programs. So you have dapirolizumab and litifilimab, both in late-stage development. But I wanted to ask a high-level question on the strategic rationale of prioritizing lupus, specifically SLE and other manifestations of the disease given that it's historically been such a challenging space in terms of drug development. So I guess with that in mind, why such a big priority to lupus? Obviously, it's a major unmet medical need. But just given the challenges, maybe talk about your thought process here.

Diana Gallagher
Head of AD, MS & Immunology Development Units

Sure. So we've been working -- first of all, thanks for having me, David. We're really excited to be here. And you're right, lupus remains a very underserved, heterogeneous disease area, major unmet need, where patients need more treatment options. We have been working in lupus. It's not new for

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SHEL either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Crescent Energy (CRGY - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Alternative Energy - Other industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.

When looking at the last two reports, this oil and gas company has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 51.81%, on average, in the last two quarters.

For the most recent quarter, Crescent Energy was expected to post earnings of $0.3 per share, but it reported $0.35 per share instead, representing a surprise of 16.67%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.23 per share, while it actually produced $0.43 per share, a surprise of 86.96%.

Price and EPS Surprise

With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Crescent Energy. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Crescent Energy has an Earnings ESP of +21.74% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 25, 2026.

Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

The Zacks Transportation - Rail industry faces challenges, ranging from tariff-induced economic uncertainties, inflationary pressures and resultant high interest rates to concerns pertaining to supply-chain disruptions.

Despite the challenges surrounding the industry, Union Pacific Corporation (UNP - Free Report) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CP - Free Report) appear better placed to tide over the challenges. Declining fuel costs represent a tailwind as far as bottom-line growth is concerned.

Industry Description The Zacks Transportation - Rail industry includes railroad operators transporting freight (such as agricultural products, industrial products, coal, intermodal, automotive, consumer products, metals and minerals), primarily across North America. These companies focus on providing logistics and supply-chain expertise services. While freight constitutes a significant chunk of revenues, some of these companies also derive a small portion of their top line from other rail-related services, including third-party railcar and locomotive repairs, routine land sales and container sales, among others. A few companies offer service to multiple production and distribution facilities. Besides locomotives, some of these companies own equipment of leased locomotives, railcars, etc.

Factors Deciding the Industry's Outlook Strong Financial Returns for Shareholders:With economic activities gaining pace from the pandemic lows, more and more companies are allocating their increasing cash pile through dividends and buybacks to pacify long-suffering shareholders. This underlines their financial strength and confidence in the business. Among the Transportation – Railroad industry players, CSX Corporation announced an 8.3% increase in the quarterly dividend in 2025, and Union Pacific approved a dividend hike of 3%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to $1.38 per share ($5.52 annualized) from $1.34 ($5.36 annualized) in 2025.

Uptick in Oil Priceis a Headwind: The upside in expenses on fuel represents another headwind for the industry. Notably, oil prices surged 8.5% from the beginning of 2026 to date. As fuel expenses represent a key input cost for any transportation player, a rise in oil prices does not bode well for the bottom-line growth of railroad stocks.

Economic Uncertainty Remains: Tariff tensions have led to escalated trade woes across the globe. These tariff-induced economic uncertainties do not bode well for industry participants. With inflation remaining a concern, risks associated with an economic slowdown and geopolitical tensions dampen the prospects of stocks belonging to this industrial cohort. Sluggish economic growth and inflationary woes are likely to make markets more volatile in the coming days. Ongoing economic uncertainty does not bode well for industry players. Tariff-induced economic uncertainties and trade tensions may create uncertainty for investors interested in the industry. 

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Gloomy Prospects The Zacks Transportation Railroad industry, housed within the broader Zacks Transportation sector, currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #196. This rank places it in the bottom 19% of more than 250 Zacks industries.

The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates dull near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

The sell-side analysts covering the companies in this industry have been decreasing their estimates. Over the past year, the industry’s consensus earnings estimate for the current year has decreased 7.5%.

Before we present a few stocks that investors can retain, given their growth prospects, let’s take a look at the industry’s recent stock market performance and current valuation.

Industry Lags S&P 500, Outperforms Sector The Zacks Transportation - Rail industry has underperformed the Zacks S&P 500 Composite index while outperformed the broader sector over the past year.

Over this period, the industry has gained 10.4% compared with the S&P 500 Index’s northward movement of 14.1%. The broader sector has surged 9.7%.

One-Year Price Performance

Industry's Current Valuation Based on the trailing 12-month price-to-book (P/B), a commonly used multiple for valuing railroad stocks, the industry is currently trading at 8.65X compared with the S&P 500’s 8.50X. It is above the sector’s P/B ratio of 4.24X.

Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 10.92X, as low as 5.40X and at the median of 7.05X.

2 Stocks to Keep an Eye On We are presenting two Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks that are well-positioned to grow in the near term. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Union Pacific: Headquartered in Omaha, NE, Union Pacific, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States.

Relatively stable ecommerce demand, cost-cutting efforts to boost the bottom line and consistent initiatives to reward its shareholders through dividend payments and share repurchases bode well for UNP’s prospects. Further, UNP has a stellar track record with respect to earnings surprises. The company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the past four quarters (missed the mark in the remaining two quarters), with an average beat of 1.34%.

Price and Consensus: UNP

Canadian Pacific: Headquartered in Calgary, Canada, Canadian Pacific manages a transcontinental freight railway in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

We are encouraged by the Canadian Pacific’s decision to pay dividends consistently. Such a move instills investors’ confidence and positively impacts the company’s bottom line. Canadian Pacific has an encouraging track record with respect to earnings surprise. The company's earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the past four quarters (met the mark in the remaining quarter), delivering an average miss of 1.62%.

Canadian Pacific expects 2026 core adjusted earnings per share to grow in the low double-digits from the 2025 actuals to C$4.61 per share. The company expects 2026 revenue ton miles to increase in the mid-single digits from the 2025 actuals.

Price and Consensus: CP

Investors in Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) are waking up to a wall of red this morning. The stock price of the popular digital image-sharing board has fallen off a cliff after the company reported its Q4 2025 results yesterday. Here’s what you need to know.

Pinterest’s Q4 2025 resultsFrom a quick glance, Pinterest’s results for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 didn’t look too bad. The company reported some impressive gains in a couple of key metrics. Those metrics include:

Total revenue: $1.32 billion (up 14% year over year) Global Monthly Active Users (MAUs): 619 million (up 12% year over year) However, despite those gains, the company’s $1.32 billion in revenue came in below what analysts were expecting. As noted by CNBC, LSEG consensus estimates were that Pinterest would post $1.33 billion in revenue. 

The company also reported an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 67 cents. That was below analyst expectations of an EPS of 69 cents.

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Worse, Pinterest said it expects its current-quarter revenue, for Q1 of its fiscal 2026, to be between $951 million and $971 million.

While that range represents year-over-year growth of between 11% and 14%, even the high-end estimate is well below the $980 million analysts were expecting.

Pinterest blames tariffs for earnings missSo what is behind the worse-than-expected results? The company blamed one primary thing: tariffs.

Explore TopicsmarketsPinterestsocial mediastockstariffs

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins LLP reminds investors that a class action was filed on behalf of all investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Vistagen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTGN) common stock between April 1, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Vistagen Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapies for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders.

For more information, submit a form, email attorney Aaron Dumas, Jr., or give us a call at (800) 350-6003.

What is the class period? April 1, 2024 and December 16, 2025

What are the allegations? Robbins LLP is Investigating Allegations that Vistagen Therapeutics, Inc. (VTGN) Misled Investors Regarding the Viability of its Trial Study of Fasedienol

According to the complaint, defendants provided these overwhelmingly positive statements to investors while at the same time, disseminating false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts concerning its Phase 3 PALISADE-3 trial study of fasedienol. This caused Plaintiff and other shareholders to purchase Vistagen’s common stock at artificially inflated prices.

Plaintiff alleges that on December 17, 2025, Vistagen issued a press release announcing that the PALISADE-3 Phase 3 study of intranasal fasedienol for the acute treatment of social anxiety disorder did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement on the primary endpoint of change on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). In pertinent part, defendants announced the trial did not achieve its primary endpoint and there was no treatment difference between fasedienol and placebo for the secondary endpoints. On this news, the price of Vistagen’s common stock declined dramatically from a closing market of $4.36 per share on December 16, 2025 to $0.86 per share on December 17, 2025, a decline of more than 80%.

What can you do now? You may be eligible to participate in the class action against Vistagen Therapeutics, Inc. Stockholders who wish to serve as lead plaintiff for the class must submit their papers to the court by March 16, 2026. The lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. For more information, click here.

All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses.

About Robbins LLP: A recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation, the attorneys and staff of Robbins LLP have been dedicated to helping shareholders recover losses, improve corporate governance structures, and hold company executives accountable for their wrongdoing since 2002.

To be notified if a class action against Vistagen Therapeutics, Inc. settles or to receive free alerts when corporate executives engage in wrongdoing, sign up for Stock Watch today.

Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

February 13, 2026 13:20 ET  | Source: Proem Acquisition Corp I

Dallas, Texas, United States, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proem Acquisition Corp I (the “Company”) announced the closing of its initial public offering of 13,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit on February 13, 2026. Total gross proceeds from the offering were $130,000,000 before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by the Company.

The units began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market (“NASDAQ”) under the ticker symbol “PAACU” on February 12, 2026. Each unit consists of one ordinary share of the Company and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one ordinary share of the Company at a price of $11.50 per share. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the ordinary shares and the warrants are expected to be traded on NASDAQ under the symbols “PAAC” and “PAACW,” respectively.

The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry.

Clear Street LLC acted as lead book-running manager. The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,950,000 additional units at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any.

A registration statement relating to the securities sold in the initial public offering was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 11, 2026. The public offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. When available, copies of the prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Clear Street LLC, Attn: Syndicate Department, 150 Greenwich Street, 45th floor, New York, NY 10007, by email at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Proem Acquisition Corp I

Proem Acquisition Corp I is a blank check company newly incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company has not selected any specific business combination target and has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with the Company. The Company’s management team is led by Imran Khan, the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, and Greg Pearson, the Chief Financial Officer. In addition, the Board includes John Wu, David Eckstein, Amarnath Thombre, and Andrey Kazakov.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements,” including with respect to the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) including the gross proceeds of the IPO, the anticipated use of the net proceeds from the IPO and the search for an initial business combination. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated or that the Company will ultimately complete a business combination transaction in the sectors it is targeting or at all. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of Proem Acquisition Corp I, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Proem Acquisition Corp I’s registration statement and preliminary prospectus for the IPO filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Proem Acquisition Corp I undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Greg Pearson
Chief Financial Officer
(214) 706-9344

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - February 13, 2026) - WHY:  Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: PFSI) resulting from allegations that PennyMac may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased PennyMac securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=51887 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On January 29, 2026, PennyMac filed a Current Report with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 8-K announcing PennyMac's fourth quarter and full-year 2025 financial results. The report stated that PennyMac's "servicing segment pretax income was $37.3 million, down from $157.4 million in the prior quarter and $87.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2024," as well as "[retax income excluding valuation-related items was $47.8 million, down 70 percent from the prior quarter driven primarily by increased realization of mortgage servicing rights (MSR) cash flows as lower mortgage rates drove higher prepayment activity."

On this news, PennyMac's stock price fell $49.78 per share, or 33.3%, to close at $99.92 per share on January 30, 2026.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved, at that time, the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/283866

Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA

Ready to Announce with Confidence? Send us a message and a member of our TMX Newsfile team will contact you to discuss your needs.

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Auna S.A. (AUNA - Free Report) could be a solid choice for investors given the company's remarkably improving earnings outlook. While the stock has been a strong performer lately, this trend might continue since analysts are still raising their earnings estimates for the company.

The rising trend in estimate revisions, which is a result of growing analyst optimism on the earnings prospects of this company, should get reflected in its stock price. After all, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. Our stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- has this insight at its core.

The five-grade Zacks Rank system, which ranges from a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record of outperformance, with Zacks #1 Ranked stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 2008.

For Auna S.A., strong agreement among the covering analysts in revising earnings estimates upward has resulted in meaningful improvement in consensus estimates for the next quarter and full year.

The chart below shows the evolution of forward 12-month Zacks Consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Current-Quarter Estimate RevisionsThe earnings estimate of $0.13 per share for the current quarter represents a change of +8.3% from the number reported a year ago.

Over the last 30 days, one estimate has moved higher for Auna S.A. compared to no negative revisions. As a result, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased 12.9%.

Current-Year Estimate RevisionsThe company is expected to earn $0.75 per share for the full year, which represents a change of +41.5% from the prior-year number.

The revisions trend for the current year also appears quite promising for Auna S.A., with one estimate moving higher over the past month compared to no negative revisions. The consensus estimate has also received a boost over this time frame, increasing 7.45%.

Favorable Zacks RankThe promising estimate revisions have helped Auna S.A. earn a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Rank is a tried-and-tested rating tool that helps investors effectively harness the power of earnings estimate revisions and make the right investment decision.

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Our research shows that stocks with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and 2 (Buy) significantly outperform the S&P 500.

Bottom LineInvestors have been betting on Auna S.A. because of its solid estimate revisions, as evident from the stock's 7.2% gain over the past four weeks. As its earnings growth prospects might push the stock higher, you may consider adding it to your portfolio right away.

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - February 13, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWV) between March 28, 2025 and December 15, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important March 13, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased CoreWeave securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the CoreWeave class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=50571 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 13, 2026. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved, at that time, the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants had overstated CoreWeave's ability to meet customer demand for its service; (2) defendants materially understated the scope and severity of the risk that CoreWeave's reliance on a single third-party data center supplier presented for CoreWeave's ability to meet customer demand for its services; (3) the foregoing was reasonably likely to have a material negative impact on CoreWeave's revenue; (4) as a result, CoreWeave's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the CoreWeave class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=50571 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/283863

Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA

Ready to Announce with Confidence? Send us a message and a member of our TMX Newsfile team will contact you to discuss your needs.

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Kitco News

The Leading News Source in Precious Metals

Kitco NEWS has a diverse team of journalists reporting on the economy, stock markets, commodities, cryptocurrencies, mining and metals with accuracy and objectivity. Our goal is to help people make informed market decisions through in-depth reporting, daily market roundups, interviews with prominent industry figures, comprehensive coverage (often exclusive) of important industry events and analyses of market-affecting developments.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sports Entertainment Gaming Global Corporation (NASDAQ: SEGG, LTRYW) (the “Company” or “SEGG Media”), the global sports, entertainment, and gaming group, today announced that it has agreed to binding terms to acquire at least a majority interest in Veloce Media Group ("Veloce"), one of the fastest-growing and market leading platforms operating at the intersection of sport, gaming and digital media.

The completion date for consummating the acquisition is set for Tuesday, February 17, 2026, which will result in SEGG Media acquiring a controlling interest of Veloce, enabling consolidation for accounting and reporting purposes and direct control. The transaction values Veloce at approximately $61 million (£45 million) and is projected to contribute in excess of $20 million in additional annual revenue which will begin to be reported in the first quarter of 2026. SEGG Media's management views Veloce as a foundational international platform that aligns with the Company’s strategy of acquiring cash-generative, media-driven sports assets capable of scaling across sponsorship, content, and commerce.

The acquisition of Veloce will be completed through a blend of cash consideration and SEGG Media common shares priced at $10 per share. The Veloce acquisition is one that the Company has been hyper-focused on for months and completing the transaction is a paradigm shift for SEGG Media and its shareholders. The targeted acquisition of Veloce by SEGG Media signals the Company's rapid evolution into a diversified global sports and media group.

Veloce's recent acquisition of Quadrant, co-founded by the current Formula 1 Champion Lando Norris, is a significant and rapidly growing gaming and lifestyle company. With a portfolio of blue-chip commercial partners and direct revenue generation in apparel and product sales the Quadrant business will continue to play a key role in the revenue growth of Veloce and SEGG Media.

Darryl Eales, Veloce Director and investor and formerly CEO of Lloyd’s Development Capital, commented: “I’m truly excited by the potential of the Veloce and SEGG partnership. High-quality, driven, and aligned management teams are crucial for the delivery of strong shareholder value creation. The combined leadership creates a powerful platform for significant and rapid growth, underpinned by both SEGG’s exciting brands and well-founded sports and entertainment strategy and Veloce’s multi-stream revenue platform and strong financial performance. 

“Both the Veloce team and the SEGG Board have remained relentless in executing the transaction - even as SEGG completed the final stages of its turnaround - driven by a combined belief in the significant scale of the opportunity that exists post-completion. With the combined value of Veloce, SEGG, and additional pipeline acquisitions, receiving consideration in $10 SEGG stock represents significant upside for Veloce shareholders.”

Daniel Bailey, CEO of Veloce Media Group, said: “This acquisition represents a defining moment not only for Veloce, but for SEGG Media as a group. From the outset, it was clear that our businesses share a common vision for building a global, digitally led sports media platform with ambition and long-term commercial strength.

“The combination of SEGG Media’s access to public markets and strategic focus with Veloce’s brands, partnerships and proven revenue model creates a powerful foundation for accelerated expansion.”

Veloce’s ecosystem spans championship-winning esports teams, athlete-led content platforms, sustainable motorsport series, and a commercial portfolio supported by global brands including McLaren, Revolut, VISA, LEGO, Microsoft, Hilton, E.ON, and Thrustmaster.

Driving over 500 million views per month, Veloce brings with it rapidly growing and diversified revenue streams across digital content, esports, motorsport and brand partnerships, reporting $17.5 million (£12.8 million) in revenue for its latest reported financial period.

Since the start of 2026, SEGG Media’s strategy has been firmly focused on executing fundamental acquisitions designed to accelerate its growth by establishing a scalable and profitable revenue-generating platform. The integration of Veloce’s business and revenue positions SEGG Media to capitalize on accelerating global demand across sport, media, gaming and digital entertainment, with a clear focus on creating genuine value to the Company driven by consistently improving return on invested capital (ROIC) and sustaining high-quality revenue growth with higher profit margins.

Robert Stubblefield, CFO and Interim CEO and President of SEGG Media, said: “The acquisition of Veloce Media Group is a pivotal acquisition for the Company and a clear validation of the strategic direction we set at the start of 2026. Veloce delivers scale, rapidly growing revenues and high-quality commercial partnerships that materially strengthen our profile.

“This acquisition of Veloce and its subsidiary Quadrant springboards SEGG Media to immediately unlocking significant revenue for the Company, which creates long-term shareholder value especially as we integrate a best-in-class digital sports and media platform into the Company. Simply put, it’s a gamechanger!”

Closing is subject to final legal review, completion of definitive documentation, and customary closing conditions.

About SEGG Media Corporation
SEGG Media (Nasdaq: SEGG, LTRYW) is a global sports, entertainment and gaming group operating a portfolio of digital assets including Sports.com, Concerts.com and Lottery.com. Focused on immersive fan engagement, ethical gaming and AI-driven live experiences, SEGG Media is redefining how global audiences interact with the content they love.

Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding the Company’s strategy, future operations, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 8-K, the words “could,” “should,” “will,” “may,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “initiatives,” “continue,” the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release or as of the date they are made. The Company cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the Company. In addition, the Company cautions you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, any future findings from ongoing review of the Company’s internal accounting controls, additional examination of the preliminary conclusions of such review, the Company’s ability to secure additional capital resources, the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, the Company’s ability to respond in a timely and satisfactory matter to the inquiries by Nasdaq, the Company’s ability to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement, the Company’s ability to regain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules, the Company’s ability to become current with its SEC reports, and those additional risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Form 10-K/A filed by the Company with the SEC on April 22, 2025, and the other documents filed, or to be filed, by the Company with the SEC. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact the operations and projections discussed herein can be found in the reports that the Company has filed and will file from time to time with the SEC. These SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e0e16f6-8dfd-4473-b8bd-9bbb0a429d6f

This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

HomeEarnings AnalysisTech 

SummaryMicrosoft (MSFT) faces diminishing returns and upside, with recent performance lagging the S&P 500 and a B- grade in my system.MSFT's massive capital outlays for AI infrastructure are capital-intensive, supporting already-booked revenue rather than unlocking new demand.Azure growth is decelerating, while spending accelerates, pressuring margins and free cash flow and raising concerns about MSFT’s durable compounder status.I assign a Strong Sell rating to MSFT due to a meager 46.5% five-year upside, a PEG of 1.56, and a value grade of F.I do much more than just articles at Best Stocks Now! Premium: Members get access to model portfolios, regular updates, a chat room, and more. Learn More » imaginima/iStock via Getty Images

On the surface, Microsoft (MSFT) still looks like the textbook “own-it-forever” stock.

It’s dominated enterprise software for over 30 years, with the near monopoly that was Microsoft Office. Its partnership with OpenAI has it currently sitting at

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP, a leading national shareholder rights law firm, announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Kyndryl Holdings, Inc. (“Kyndryl” or the “Company”) (NYSE: KD) securities between August 7, 2024 and February 9, 2026, inclusive (the “Class Period”). Kyndryl investors have until April 13, 2026 to file a lead plaintiff motion.

IF YOU SUFFERED A LOSS ON YOUR KYNDRYL HOLDINGS, INC. (KD) INVESTMENTS, CLICK HERE TO INQUIRE ABOUT POTENTIALLY PURSUING CLAIMS TO RECOVER YOUR LOSS UNDER THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS

What Happened?

On February 9, 2026, Kyndryl announced the Company’s CFO and General Counsel had both departed “effective immediately.” The Company also announced that it would be unable to timely file its quarterly report and that it “is reviewing its cash management practices related disclosures” as well as “the efficacy of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, and certain other matters following the Company’s receipt of voluntary document requests from the Division of Enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) relating to such matters.”

The Company further announced it “anticipates reporting material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting” which is expected to include at minimum “the effectiveness and strength of certain functions at the Company, including with respect to controls related to information and communication and tone at the top.”

On this news, Kyndryl’s stock price fell $12.90, or 54.9%, to close at $10.59 per share on February 9, 2026, thereby injuring investors.

What Is The Lawsuit About?

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Kyndryl's financial statements issued during the Class Period were materially misstated; (2) Kyndryl lacked adequate internal controls and at times materially understated issues with its internal controls; (3) as a result, Kyndryl would be unable to timely file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2025; and (4) as a result, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired Kyndryl securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than April 13, 2026 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit.

Contact Us To Participate or Learn More:

If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us:

Charles Linehan, Esq.,
Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP,
1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100,
Los Angeles California 90067
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 310-201-9150,
Toll-Free: 888-773-9224
Visit our website at www.glancylaw.com.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you inquire by email, please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

, /PRNewswire/ -- UFP Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: UFPI), a leading manufacturer focused on delivering value-added products is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.36 per share of common stock, payable on March 16, 2026, to shareholders of record on March 2, 2026.

The dividend represents a 3% increase over the March 2025 dividend and marks the 14th consecutive year of dividend increases.

The company is committed to delivering strong returns on investment to its shareholders through share price gains, cash dividends and targeted share repurchases.

UFP Industries, Inc.

UFP Industries, Inc. is a holding company whose operating subsidiaries – UFP Packaging, UFP Construction and UFP Retail – manufacture, distribute and sell a wide variety of value-added products used in residential and commercial construction, packaging and other industrial applications worldwide. Founded in 1955, the company is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with affiliates in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more about UFP Industries, go to www.ufpi.com.

SOURCE UFP Industries, Inc.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 13, 2026) - Spark Energy Minerals Inc. (CSE: SPRK) (OTC Pink: SPARF) (FSE: 8PC) ("Spark" or the "Company") is pleased to report the final assay results from its maiden Reverse Circulation ("RC") drill program at the Arapaima Project in Brazil's Lithium Valley.

All five maiden drill holes intersected broad rare earth ("REE") and gallium ("Ga") mineralization from surface to the bottom of the drilled interval. These results represent the complete assay data from all five first-pass holes — not selected samples — and the consistent mineralization across 100% of drilling provides early evidence of a laterally continuous critical minerals system. Further drilling will be required to determine the full depth extent of mineralization.

Rare Earth (TREO) Highlights - Magnet Rare Earth Oxides (MREO) up to 33%

78 m grading 2,430 ppm TREO (21% MREO)Including 10 m at 4,522 ppm TREO (25% MREO)Including 2 m at 6,682 ppm TREO (33% MREO)34 m grading 2,690 ppm TREO (22% MREO)Including 4 m at 4,373 ppm TREO (24% MREO)Including 6 m at 4,355 ppm TREO (21% MREO)28 m grading 2,031 ppm TREO (21% MREO)16 m grading 1,851 ppm TREO (22% MREO)16 m grading 1,353 ppm TREO (22% MREO)These intervals reflect broad and consistent rare earth mineralization encountered in every hole of the maiden drill program. The repetition of similar thicknesses and grades across all five first-pass holes supports the interpretation of a coherent and laterally continuous mineralized system, rather than isolated high-grade zones.

Importantly, magnet rare earth oxides ("MREO") — including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium — comprise up to 33% of TREO across the maiden drill program. These magnet elements represent the most strategically significant segment of the rare earth spectrum, forming the core components of high-performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, aerospace systems, robotics, and defense technologies. As governments and manufacturers seek to diversify supply chains amid tightening export controls and supply concentration, projects demonstrating meaningful magnet rare earth content have attracted increased strategic interest.

Gallium Intersected from Surface in All Five Maiden Holes

94 m grading 63 g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface54 m grading 46.45 g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface58 m grading 52 g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface46 m grading 49.10 g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface44 m grading 47 g/t Ga₂O₃ from surfaceThe presence of gallium mineralization beginning at surface in every drill hole underscores the near-surface character of the system and its emerging strategic importance. Gallium is a critical input in advanced semiconductors, AI processing architecture, high-frequency radar systems, and LED technologies. With global supply highly concentrated and subject to export restrictions, new gallium discoveries outside traditional supply channels have attracted increased strategic interest.

Figure 1: Maiden RC drill hole locations and selected near-surface rare earth and gallium intercepts at the Arapaima Project. Yellow lines, labeled A-A', B-B', and C-C', indicate cross-sections shown in Figures 2 to 4.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10093/283843_fig1spark.jpg

Drill Hole Spacing

The five maiden drill holes were spaced at meaningful step-out distances, with an average separation of approximately 380 metres. The closest spacing between holes was 301 metres (between ARA-RC-002 and ARA-RC-004), and the widest spacing was 423 metres (between ARA-RC-002 and ARA-RC-003).

The consistent intersection of magnet rare earth and gallium mineralization across holes separated by several hundred metres strengthens the interpretation of a laterally continuous mineralized system across a meaningful footprint.

Maiden Drilling Confirms Continuous Critical Minerals System

The five-hole RC program represents the first drilling campaign ever conducted on Spark's flagship Arapaima Project. Such uniformity in a first-pass program supports the interpretation of lateral continuity across the tested area — a notable outcome in early-stage drilling. The results support the interpretation that Arapaima hosts a coherent and vertically developed supergene mineralized system formed through deep tropical weathering of granitic host rocks.

"Intersecting magnet rare earths and gallium in all five of the first drill holes ever completed on the property provides compelling early evidence of a coherent and systematic mineralized footprint," said Dr. Fernando Tallarico, CEO of Spark Energy Minerals. "The consistent vertical zoning and strong magnet rare earth content reinforce the strategic significance of the Arapaima Project within Brazil's Lithium Valley. We look forward to advancing the next phase of drilling to better define the footprint and depth extent of mineralization."

While additional drilling will be required to determine the full extent of the system, the maiden results demonstrate repeatable mineralization across all five tested locations, strengthening confidence in the underlying geological model.

Drill Hole Information

The maiden RC drill program comprised five vertical reverse circulation drill holes (dip 90°). Drill hole collar locations, depths, azimuths, and sample interval information are summarized below:

Hole IDProjectTargetDrill
TypeEnd
DepthEastingNorthingRLDatumSurvey
MethodARA-RC-001ArapaimaCruzetaRC582358958114216937SIRGAS2000 24SGPSARA-RC-002ArapaimaCruzetaRC442359448113829960SIRGAS2000 24SGPSARA-RC-003ArapaimaCruzetaRC942355168113932957SIRGAS2000 24SGPSARA-RC-004ArapaimaCruzetaRC462362278113938948SIRGAS2000 24SGPSARA-RC-005ArapaimaCruzetaRC542351578114025975SIRGAS2000 23SGPSContinuous Gallium-to-MREO Zonation Confirmed

The cross-sections below provide a visual representation of the geological profile encountered during drilling. In every hole, drilling began in gallium-rich material at surface and transitioned into a thick rare earth-bearing zone at depth. The repetition of this pattern across all five drill holes provides visual evidence supporting the interpretation of a continuous and vertically developed mineralized system.

Figure 2: Cross-section A-A' highlighting the mineralized intercepts in holes ARA-RC-001 and -003.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10093/283843_fig2spark.jpg

Figure 3: Cross-section B-B' highlighting the mineralized intercepts in holes ARA-RC-002 and -004.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10093/283843_fig3spark.jpg

Figure 4: Cross-section C-C' highlighting the mineralized intercepts in hole ARA-RC-005.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10093/283843_fig4spark.jpg

Brazil's Lithium Valley - A Strategic Jurisdiction

The Arapaima Project is located in Brazil's Lithium Valley, a region that has rapidly gained international recognition for lithium, rare earth, and critical mineral discoveries.

Brazil has rapidly emerged as a globally significant jurisdiction for lithium, rare earth, and critical mineral exploration. The country offers established mining legislation, infrastructure, skilled labour, and increasing strategic alignment with Western supply chain diversification efforts. As global demand for magnet rare earths and gallium intensifies, Brazil's Lithium Valley continues to attract international attention as a prospective and active critical minerals district.

Corporate Update - Warrant Incentive Program

Spark reminds holders that its previously announced warrant repricing and exercise incentive program (the "Incentive Program") remains in effect until February 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (Vancouver time).

During the Incentive Period, eligible warrant holders may exercise their warrants at a reduced price of $0.05 per warrant. In addition, for each warrant exercised under the Incentive Program, the Company will issue one additional common share purchase warrant (an "Incentive Warrant") exercisable for one year from the date of issuance at an exercise price of $0.06 per share.

Eligible holders are encouraged to act prior to the February 22, 2026 deadline to ensure they benefit from the reduced pricing and additional Incentive Warrant.

Maiden Drill Program - Detailed Assay Results

Table 1. Drill Hole 1 - Assay Results

Sample IDFromToCeO2
ppmDy2O3
ppmGa2O3
g/tGd2O3
ppmNb2O5
ppmN2O3
ppmPr6O11
ppmSm2O3
ppmTb4O7
ppmY2O3
ppmTREO
ppmMREO
ppmMREO
%NdPr
ppmDyTb
ppmARA-RC001-0010.002.00301.708.2959.1511.4182.9786.7829.5317.511.5640.00645.27143.6322.26116.319.85ARA-RC001-0022.004.00248.517.1065.879.4287.2671.5024.0314.151.2936.94533.13118.0422.1495.538.40ARA-RC001-0034.006.00143.975.0771.255.9294.4147.0014.268.580.8626.91328.9875.7523.0361.265.93ARA-RC001-0046.008.00122.234.2273.944.69101.5741.1712.327.190.6823.18284.1765.5723.0853.504.91ARA-RC001-0058.0010.00102.083.4579.313.48111.5827.648.744.520.5421.31226.1344.8819.8536.384.00ARA-RC001-00610.0012.00113.013.3372.593.2398.7126.718.694.290.4919.75235.0343.5018.5135.403.82ARA-RC001-00712.0014.00117.193.1672.592.86103.0024.387.834.170.4618.73233.4039.9917.1332.213.61ARA-RC001-00814.0016.00144.582.3251.082.3577.2522.747.253.480.3913.89248.7336.1714.5429.992.71ARA-RC001-00916.0018.00192.242.3236.302.8754.3635.5711.504.750.3511.14335.9654.4916.2247.082.67ARA-RC001-01018.0020.00181.192.0033.612.6347.2133.8211.284.410.339.87324.6651.8315.9645.112.33ARA-RC001-01120.0022.00169.642.3437.642.4157.2229.7410.274.170.3612.78324.9546.8814.4340.012.71ARA-RC001-01222.0024.00131.931.6332.261.8647.2120.066.733.010.268.66232.1731.6913.6526.791.89ARA-RC001-01324.0026.00175.051.3040.331.4954.3615.984.422.320.207.72243.1624.219.9620.401.50ARA-RC001-01426.0028.00181.561.5145.711.6555.7915.985.092.320.218.03263.9525.109.5121.071.73ARA-RC001-01528.0030.00288.431.6443.021.9851.5010.156.342.900.248.84369.8921.265.7516.491.88ARA-RC001-01630.0032.00648.232.4251.083.5475.8232.1916.376.260.3512.01890.6957.586.4748.562.77ARA-RC001-01732.0034.00513.962.9843.025.2751.5070.2232.469.280.5112.101155.83115.419.99102.683.49ARA-RC001-01834.0036.00599.706.6248.3913.0064.37149.7653.9820.641.3923.011427.06232.3316.28203.758.01ARA-RC001-01936.0038.00919.4618.2149.7435.4152.93404.03108.9454.393.9653.392345.54589.3725.13512.9822.18ARA-RC001-02038.0040.00888.017.7959.1514.0565.80134.0249.2824.241.5428.731431.01216.8115.15183.309.33ARA-RC001-020-A38.0040.00820.207.7153.7713.9557.22137.4049.7124.001.5427.981367.18220.3016.11187.109.25ARA-RC001-02140.0042.00847.357.4357.8012.2564.37147.0854.9125.281.3826.521379.90236.0117.10201.998.80ARA-RC001-02242.0044.00860.136.9753.7712.4858.65210.8879.7734.441.3424.671507.44333.3022.11290.658.31ARA-RC001-02344.0046.001261.2016.9461.8432.2378.68509.94143.5963.663.3672.612818.08737.2826.16653.5320.30ARA-RC001-02446.0048.002030.4234.3660.4962.6151.50895.66265.16118.287.10126.224741.191320.1827.841160.8241.47ARA-RC001-02548.0050.00929.7844.3749.7464.2454.36550.65142.3981.407.94289.582879.95826.5128.70693.0352.31ARA-RC001-02650.0052.00781.1432.5647.0548.0950.07450.69119.4364.595.80207.982372.83672.8828.36570.1238.36ARA-RC001-02752.0054.001126.8127.3149.7442.3752.93490.11130.0766.564.98168.992736.92718.8326.26620.1932.29ARA-RC001-02854.0056.00702.7714.1441.6725.2144.35273.6389.7944.992.8362.421683.23425.2725.27363.4316.97ARA-RC001-02956.0058.00689.5014.9440.3326.3342.92302.0994.7046.622.9661.131736.91461.1826.55396.7917.91Table 2. Drill Hole 2 - Assay Results

Sample IDFromToCeO2
ppmDy2O3
ppmGa2O3
g/tGd2O3
ppmNb2O5
ppmN2O3
ppmPr6O11
ppmSm2O3
ppmTb4O7
ppmY2O3
ppmTREO
ppmMREO
ppmMREO
%NdPr
ppmDyTb
ppmARA-RC002-0010.002.00189.796.2161.847.8788.6972.4322.1912.411.1233.60460.19114.3324.8494.637.33ARA-RC002-0022.004.00134.264.9267.225.4590.1245.0215.028.350.7825.44320.9874.0723.0860.045.70ARA-RC002-0034.006.00143.855.2367.226.5097.2761.3518.729.740.8928.56373.8095.9125.6680.076.13ARA-RC002-0046.008.00137.345.0867.226.0192.9855.7516.569.280.8227.47350.1387.4824.9872.325.91ARA-RC002-0058.0010.0091.393.2047.053.5064.3730.569.835.680.5317.07220.9949.7922.5340.393.73ARA-RC002-00610.0012.0084.391.8536.302.0445.7817.386.113.130.299.73168.0828.7617.1123.492.14ARA-RC002-00712.0014.00111.171.7232.261.8952.9319.605.112.440.206.84202.2329.0514.3724.711.92ARA-RC002-00814.0016.0071.121.8429.572.1171.5320.887.833.480.299.42185.8934.3118.4628.712.13ARA-RC002-00916.0018.0098.271.6940.332.0165.8021.938.813.130.298.04241.3235.8414.8530.741.98ARA-RC002-01018.0020.0078.741.4545.711.6367.2317.156.742.550.268.28204.3828.1413.7723.891.70ARA-RC002-01120.0022.0090.902.1047.052.5782.9721.936.784.060.3415.02188.9235.2018.6328.712.44ARA-RC002-01222.0024.00107.982.0948.392.5765.8026.718.414.170.3812.80223.0241.7518.7235.122.47ARA-RC002-01324.0026.00163.132.7545.713.8772.9635.8111.076.380.4621.12314.2156.4517.9746.873.21ARA-RC002-01426.0028.00311.522.6345.714.0568.6642.6919.788.350.4715.05574.7673.8912.8662.473.10ARA-RC002-01528.0030.00262.392.0945.715.3458.6566.4822.8512.290.478.69508.06104.1520.5089.332.56ARA-RC002-01630.0032.001120.189.5449.7420.4268.66335.45101.4045.342.0626.312244.09493.6422.00436.8511.60ARA-RC002-01732.0034.00761.367.6751.0813.3474.39152.3360.7827.951.5328.541437.55250.1817.40213.119.20ARA-RC002-01834.0036.00437.067.3549.7411.1670.1098.6835.7620.411.3828.26834.40163.5219.60134.448.72ARA-RC002-01936.0038.00647.4912.5449.7419.6264.37191.4065.0638.272.5947.441262.47309.7724.54256.4615.13ARA-RC002-02038.0040.00816.5230.1545.7144.4758.65394.00102.8865.405.80144.022075.92598.0628.81496.8835.95ARA-RC002-020-A38.0040.00780.8928.4444.3641.6758.65366.4896.0962.155.33136.371962.70558.3328.45462.5633.77ARA-RC002-02140.0042.00431.1728.0040.3337.5241.48222.5463.5846.505.05170.011284.70365.5728.46286.1233.05ARA-RC002-02242.0044.00152.696.4733.619.0127.1866.1318.9612.291.2036.10394.32105.0326.6385.097.67Table 3. Drill Hole 3 - Assay Results

Sample IDFromToCeO2
ppmDy2O3
ppmGa2O3
g/tGd2O3
ppmNb2O5
ppmN2O3
ppmPr6O11
ppmSm2O3
ppmTb4O7
ppmY2O3
ppmTREO
ppmMREO
ppmMREO
%NdPr
ppmDyTb
ppmARA-RC003-0010.002.0066.212.8564.532.6487.2619.136.253.250.4016.83156.9831.8620.3025.373.25ARA-RC003-0022.006.0084.643.3267.223.4991.5530.799.034.870.5319.90209.1748.5223.2039.823.85ARA-RC003-0036.008.0090.663.3576.633.27101.5728.699.194.640.5319.76221.2246.3920.9737.893.88ARA-RC003-0048.0010.00121.863.5379.313.31117.3030.3310.094.640.5221.83261.9049.0918.7440.414.05ARA-RC003-00510.0012.00109.573.9080.663.45113.0131.149.984.990.5824.61252.6750.5720.0241.124.48ARA-RC003-00612.0014.00161.173.6576.633.17113.0131.6110.835.220.5521.18311.7351.8416.6342.434.20ARA-RC003-00714.0016.00220.623.4267.223.27105.8625.7811.765.100.5119.56371.5146.5512.5337.533.93ARA-RC003-00816.0018.00317.303.5267.223.69104.4330.5615.145.910.5318.68503.2255.6511.0645.704.05ARA-RC003-00918.0020.00378.963.6568.563.92111.5834.5217.666.960.5418.59592.1163.3210.6952.194.19ARA-RC003-01020.0022.00441.864.0271.254.33118.7339.5420.687.420.6020.46690.6772.2410.4660.224.62ARA-RC003-01122.0024.00518.384.1773.944.86121.5950.0425.369.040.6420.52820.7489.2210.8775.404.80ARA-RC003-01224.0026.00576.864.9173.945.38124.4561.1231.7010.320.7224.41978.79108.7411.1192.825.63ARA-RC003-01326.0028.00515.314.4669.905.24120.1663.3333.549.970.6620.86937.24111.9411.9496.875.12ARA-RC003-01428.0030.00511.754.2967.225.54115.8776.1637.7611.020.7120.34987.54129.9013.15113.925.00ARA-RC003-01530.0032.00128.614.0182.003.53113.0130.3310.384.640.5624.31275.8249.9018.0940.704.57ARA-RC003-01632.0034.00144.094.0180.663.39118.7331.6111.125.100.5922.34298.1852.4117.5842.724.59ARA-RC003-01734.0036.00113.263.5980.663.23110.1529.639.864.750.5222.81253.3348.3419.0839.484.11ARA-RC003-01836.0038.00703.506.6768.569.53120.16156.9972.0720.061.1228.291523.69256.8416.86229.067.79ARA-RC003-01938.0040.00987.276.4051.089.00114.4436.1659.9317.860.9527.351586.50121.277.6496.087.36ARA-RC003-02040.0042.00678.575.7856.469.01101.57139.9761.9818.091.0125.061402.32226.7716.17201.956.80ARA-RC003-020-A40.0042.00652.655.6652.438.6488.69136.2359.9117.280.9822.951352.04220.0016.27196.156.63ARA-RC003-02142.0044.00535.463.6863.185.6672.9677.5635.4010.780.6115.95987.74128.0112.96112.964.30ARA-RC003-02244.0046.00877.815.7567.2210.0978.68162.0167.6220.761.0523.111707.97257.1115.05229.636.80ARA-RC003-02346.0048.00752.036.2171.2510.6770.10142.4155.0220.641.1125.811411.60225.3315.96197.447.31ARA-RC003-02448.0050.001263.0411.4480.6620.5757.22377.32115.4748.592.2143.412486.97554.8722.31492.7913.65ARA-RC003-02550.0052.001942.3515.6179.3129.4168.66595.90170.0275.143.0653.273640.04859.4723.61765.9218.67ARA-RC003-02652.0054.002550.7726.7984.6950.7462.94861.84268.16115.845.4581.005064.841277.7025.231130.0032.23ARA-RC003-02754.0056.001529.2430.0979.3153.4987.26793.02247.16109.356.1092.024005.801185.3829.591040.1836.20ARA-RC003-02856.0058.001896.7740.2080.6671.7387.26960.63296.25141.018.30123.464678.401445.9730.911256.8848.51ARA-RC003-02958.0060.002936.8628.9282.0051.5497.27685.95188.6590.915.6087.465221.67999.7319.15874.5934.52ARA-RC003-03060.0062.001047.4626.7369.9045.3188.69537.93148.5079.555.4793.382737.16797.9529.15686.4332.20ARA-RC003-03162.0064.001068.7127.8468.5647.2590.12576.42160.4782.685.49107.742842.76852.6629.99736.9033.34ARA-RC003-03264.0066.002203.7552.7679.3185.20127.32972.76287.94149.3610.14225.695148.451472.5228.601260.7062.90ARA-RC003-03366.0068.001132.7130.7747.0548.8487.26567.44153.4983.615.95129.422917.94841.0228.82720.9336.72ARA-RC003-03468.0070.001807.9628.2849.7443.9771.53528.14141.2775.265.29117.213454.69778.0122.52669.4133.57ARA-RC003-03570.0072.002053.1595.6163.18147.2787.261448.41432.27225.4318.70459.776682.042219.7833.221880.68114.32ARA-RC003-03672.0074.001185.7749.9855.1276.2294.41686.30191.35104.489.76248.063712.281041.5828.06877.6559.74ARA-RC003-03774.0076.001912.8644.4355.1267.9197.27738.20218.55107.158.40193.944328.521116.4025.79956.7552.82ARA-RC003-03876.0078.001430.1036.6948.3953.5092.98578.87156.6884.306.77171.503346.79863.0725.79735.5543.47ARA-RC003-03978.0080.00985.4227.8743.0241.1472.96481.48134.3869.695.03113.182605.38718.2427.57615.8632.90ARA-RC003-04080.0082.00803.3722.1740.3335.8141.48397.73112.3559.374.34103.022188.98595.8027.22510.0926.51ARA-RC003-040-A80.0082.00764.4321.5538.9835.2545.78405.08113.1558.564.2799.222149.92602.4428.02518.2325.82ARA-RC003-04182.0084.001056.0635.8948.3955.7780.11627.28185.8094.047.00167.923099.94949.7330.64813.0742.89ARA-RC003-04284.0086.001054.2139.6644.3659.5280.11643.49193.3494.747.36174.033231.67978.3130.27836.8347.03ARA-RC003-04386.0088.001101.3857.0538.9873.6471.53584.94152.2391.389.90379.653349.02895.2626.73737.1766.95ARA-RC003-04488.0090.00989.8430.4836.3040.6871.53382.46103.0056.475.27207.882414.59577.5223.92485.4535.75ARA-RC003-04590.0092.00857.4220.1534.9529.3667.23303.2687.1646.383.7594.101921.23460.5823.97390.4223.91ARA-RC003-04692.0094.00942.9220.8136.3029.8170.10347.4695.3650.333.8395.842113.63517.6524.49442.8324.64Table 4. Drill Hole 4 - Assay Results

Sample IDFromToCeO2
ppmDy2O3
ppmGa2O3
g/tGd2O3
ppmNb2O5
ppmN2O3
ppmPr6O11
ppmSm2O3
ppmTb4O7
ppmY2O3
ppmTREO
ppmMREO
ppmMREO
%NdPr
ppmDyTb
ppmARA-RC004-0010.002.00256.496.9183.358.46117.3078.3826.8713.571.0935.52568.91126.7922.29105.258.00ARA-RC004-0022.004.00154.664.7572.595.90100.1461.2318.709.390.7924.81380.4594.8424.9379.945.54ARA-RC004-0034.006.00271.725.6276.637.65105.8681.0628.5713.451.0128.07583.11129.6922.24109.646.64ARA-RC004-0046.008.00276.765.5456.467.8681.5480.1327.9013.800.9826.61578.65128.3122.17108.036.52ARA-RC004-0058.0010.00230.332.9845.713.4064.3727.9911.485.680.4615.61369.4348.5813.1539.473.44ARA-RC004-00610.0012.00160.062.2644.362.3671.5322.046.953.480.3312.33262.6235.0513.3528.992.59ARA-RC004-00712.0014.00113.382.1338.982.2874.3919.255.863.250.3312.20208.0530.8114.8125.102.46ARA-RC004-00814.0016.00132.912.2240.332.0688.6916.335.353.010.3312.67220.8227.2312.3321.682.54ARA-RC004-00916.0018.00199.122.2347.051.78110.159.333.552.090.2912.85260.9317.496.7012.882.52ARA-RC004-01018.0020.00245.682.2848.391.72103.002.683.662.090.2813.22303.7711.003.626.342.57ARA-RC004-01120.0022.00220.132.9557.801.83123.021.752.771.970.3417.06270.569.783.614.523.29ARA-RC004-01222.0024.00240.772.4447.051.49118.73-2.131.620.2913.85---2.132.74ARA-RC004-01324.0026.00347.512.5649.741.52143.05-1.961.510.2714.74---1.962.83ARA-RC004-01426.0028.00288.922.3144.361.50101.57-2.731.860.2712.69---2.732.58ARA-RC004-01528.0030.00268.902.5444.361.60125.89-2.321.740.2814.30---2.322.82ARA-RC004-01630.0032.00396.288.9340.3312.15114.44122.5944.9522.261.5934.31886.26200.2622.60167.5310.52ARA-RC004-01732.0034.00556.718.2643.0211.68123.02127.3748.9622.731.4533.951039.27208.7020.08176.329.71ARA-RC004-01834.0036.00678.3211.5238.9818.55103.00199.6874.0535.602.2640.551488.73323.0221.70273.7313.78ARA-RC004-01936.0038.00395.427.3544.369.52123.0291.3333.4917.631.2830.67750.07151.0320.14124.828.63ARA-RC004-02038.0040.00800.9212.4449.7417.22158.79159.0957.9131.082.2748.611418.95262.7218.51217.0014.71ARA-RC004-020-A38.0040.00731.8811.7449.7416.36123.02146.8553.3228.762.0744.321282.09242.6718.93200.1613.81ARA-RC004-02140.0042.001260.5843.8341.6762.2690.12660.75177.22100.658.23203.583444.24990.4028.76837.9752.06ARA-RC004-02242.0044.001065.8838.3837.6455.4188.69555.43169.6081.527.45186.643010.47852.1328.31725.0245.82ARA-RC004-02344.0046.001026.8237.1636.3052.1885.83499.44135.3774.106.90184.082770.15752.7627.17634.8144.07Table 5. Drill Hole 5 - Assay Results

Sample IDFromToCeO2
ppmDy2O3
ppmGa2O3
g/tGd2O3
ppmNb2O5
ppmN2O3
ppmPr6O11
ppmSm2O3
ppmTb4O7
ppmY2O3
ppmTREO
ppmMREO
ppmMREO
%NdPr
ppmDyTb
ppmARA-RC005-0010.002.0087.833.2172.592.85104.4322.167.083.360.4719.38201.0436.2818.0529.243.68ARA-RC005-0022.004.00131.193.2229.573.8044.3535.2211.065.680.5416.61268.1655.7120.7846.283.77ARA-RC005-0034.006.00117.442.2733.612.5150.0723.097.743.590.3611.90226.2537.0616.3830.842.64ARA-RC005-0046.008.00171.613.3433.613.5671.5329.9810.994.990.5217.55320.0249.8015.5640.973.86ARA-RC005-0058.0010.00231.552.9637.642.7081.5413.187.703.480.4116.73351.1427.727.8920.883.37ARA-RC005-00610.0012.00360.173.4843.022.64104.435.726.673.130.4420.05470.0319.424.1312.383.91ARA-RC005-00712.0014.00330.933.2136.302.1095.84-3.892.090.3919.00---3.893.60ARA-RC005-00814.0016.00359.434.4543.022.48103.00-3.672.090.5325.69---3.674.98ARA-RC005-00916.0018.00363.363.2143.021.9884.40-3.691.970.3618.24---3.693.58ARA-RC005-01018.0020.00491.853.8044.362.2280.11-3.302.200.4421.17---3.304.23ARA-RC005-01120.0022.00479.087.2941.679.3775.8282.1133.4715.771.2532.69830.97139.8516.83115.588.53ARA-RC005-01222.0024.00688.5212.0944.3618.4962.94199.4571.9034.092.3148.411414.42319.7422.61271.3514.39ARA-RC005-01324.0026.00597.2513.0630.9219.6341.48212.7575.1937.802.4154.291346.08341.1125.34287.9315.47ARA-RC005-01426.0028.00905.2112.9738.9822.0468.66252.2985.0842.442.5656.891850.08395.2321.36337.3715.53ARA-RC005-01528.0030.002484.0723.0861.8440.0098.71681.28236.7784.884.40111.564709.151030.1221.87918.0527.48ARA-RC005-01630.0032.001596.6726.1760.4946.39103.00735.05250.8093.705.33116.364038.271110.7227.50985.8531.50ARA-RC005-01732.0034.00514.9511.7455.1219.0098.71152.5652.2728.182.2947.711169.49246.9721.12204.8314.03ARA-RC005-01834.0036.002762.5528.2361.8445.37123.02604.07194.4676.885.16137.884884.17908.5418.60798.5333.40ARA-RC005-01936.0038.002217.1420.8857.8032.45101.57409.05116.6853.343.7891.233617.62603.5416.68525.7224.65ARA-RC005-02038.0040.001935.2232.9259.1557.2098.71870.70282.11113.416.82126.464565.851305.5828.591152.8239.74ARA-RC005-020-A38.0040.001904.6332.8659.1555.8088.69868.95289.56115.156.74122.604564.901312.8728.761158.5139.60ARA-RC005-02140.0042.001142.9023.5256.4638.8198.71472.85136.8660.074.54113.892866.59697.6424.34609.7128.06ARA-RC005-02242.0044.001294.2420.0655.1231.6688.69357.7394.3846.503.9083.962452.64522.4321.30452.1123.97ARA-RC005-02344.0046.001449.0255.3951.0882.9288.69886.33263.38131.0410.72266.854205.071346.4632.021149.7166.10ARA-RC005-02446.0048.00908.4030.4945.7145.3374.39502.36132.4470.045.87151.622483.84740.9929.83634.8036.36ARA-RC005-02548.0050.00798.0917.9837.6427.5568.66316.2087.2943.373.4188.841825.90468.1325.64403.5021.40ARA-RC005-02650.0052.00775.9821.0840.3331.7071.53351.6693.9350.104.09104.911894.75520.7127.48445.5925.18ARA-RC005-02752.0054.00696.3817.7338.9826.1568.66243.0776.7439.893.3688.871583.58380.7024.04319.8221.10Notes

MREO: Defined as the combined oxides of Nd + Pr + Dy + Tb. "% of TREO" represents MREO divided by TREO × 100.

TREO (Total Rare Earth Oxides): Defined as the sum of the following oxides: CeO₂, Dy₂O₃, Er₂O₃, Eu₂O₃, Gd₂O₃, Ho₂O₃, La₂O₃, Lu₂O₃, Nd₂O₃, Pr₆O₁₁, Sm₂O₃, Tb₄O₇, Tm₂O₃, Yb₂O₃.

Qualified Person Statement (NI 43-101)

The planning and execution of the QA/QC program for the borehole samples from the Arapaima drilling program included placing a blank at the beginning of each batch (each batch corresponds to one borehole), before analysis of the first sample.

Two standard samples were inserted every 15 samples, and a duplicate was taken every 20 samples. The specifications for the standard samples are attached. The samples were collected at 2m intervals, and using a Jones splitter, the samples were reduced to an aliquot of approximately 2kg for laboratory analysis and another of approximately 1kg for project archiving.

Analytical Procedures & Laboratory

The samples were sent to the SGS Geosol Ltda laboratory, located on the MG-10 highway at km 24.5 in the Angicos neighbourhood, Vespasiano/MG. The laboratory is independent and has no relationship with the project or the company. The SGS Geosol laboratory is ISO 14001-2015 certified (certified on 11/09/2023) and ISO 9001-2015 certified (certified on 10/07/2024). Samples were prepared by crushing 75% 3 mm/pulverizing 250 g, 95% <150# - Jones (code PRP70J_A2-PA). Analyses were performed using ICPMS/OES by fusion with sodium peroxide for 56 elements, including lithium and the rare earth elements (code ICM90A).

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jonathan Victor Hill, BSc (Hons), FAusIMM, VP Exploration and Director, and Dr. Fernando Tallarico, P.Geo., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, each of whom is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Hill is a Director of Spark Energy Minerals Inc. and is not independent of the Company. Dr. Tallarico is the Chief Executive Officer of Spark Energy Minerals Inc. and is likewise not independent of the Company.

About Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

Spark Energy Minerals Inc. is a Canadian company advancing the exploration and development of critical minerals essential to the clean-energy transition. The Company's primary focus is Brazil, where it controls a significant land position within the country's emerging Lithium Valley - a region recognized for its lithium, gallium, and rare-earth potential. Spark's flagship Arapaima Project spans approximately 91,900 hectares and hosts multiple targets for lithium and gallium-REE mineralization. Through systematic exploration, Spark aims to help strengthen the secure and sustainable supply of minerals that power electrification, renewable energy, and modern technologies. The Company is committed to responsible exploration practices and supporting Brazil's development of a transparent, sustainable critical minerals supply chain.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the interpretation of exploration results, the potential significance, continuity, extent, and grade of mineralization encountered, the identification and potential implications of an ionic-adsorption clay ("IAC")-style system, the potential for future exploration and drilling programs, the advancement of the Arapaima Project, the evaluation of additional targets within the Company's land package, the availability of financing, and the Company's future plans, objectives, and strategies.

Forward-looking information is generally identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "believe," "will," "projected," "estimated," "anticipates," or similar expressions, or statements that certain events or conditions "may," "could," or "will" occur. Such statements are based on the Company's current expectations, assumptions, and beliefs, including assumptions regarding geological interpretations, exploration results, continuity of mineralization, metallurgical characteristics, market conditions, access to capital, and regulatory approvals.

Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, geological uncertainty, the inherently preliminary nature of exploration results, the selective nature of rock, soil, and drill samples, the possibility that future exploration results may not be consistent with expectations, changes in market conditions, availability of financing, and risks associated with mineral exploration and development. There can be no assurance that any exploration program will result in a mineral discovery or that any mineralization identified will ultimately be developed into a commercially viable deposit. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/283843

Source: Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

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Key Takeaways Enterprise Products trades at 11.20x EV/EBITDA, below the industry average of 11.27x.EPD's 50,000-mile network and inflation-linked contracts support stable cash flows.Enterprise Products offers a 6.21% yield but carries higher debt and trails industry yield. Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD - Free Report) is trading at a trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA multiple of 11.20x, which is lower than the broader industry average of 11.27x. Enbridge Inc. (ENB - Free Report) and Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI - Free Report) , two other midstream majors, are valued higher at 15.83x and 14.83x, respectively.

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Since EPD is undervalued, should investors jump into the stock immediately? Before deciding, it’s better to analyze EPD’s overall business environment first, even though the partnership generates stable fee-based revenues like ENB and KMI.

EPD’s Inflation-Linked Contracts & Growth Capital Pipeline

Enterprise Products' pipeline network spans more than 50,000 miles, transporting oil, natural gas and other commodities. The partnership also has more than 300 million barrels of liquid storage capacity, generating stable cash flows. Importantly, EPD’s business model is inflation-protected because almost 90% of its long-term contracts include a provision for increasing fees when the business environment becomes inflationary. This is how the midstream energy player is able to safeguard its cash flow generation in all business scenarios.

EPD is also expected to generate incremental cash flow from its $4.8 billion in key capital projects, which are either in service or set to come online.

Strong Focus on Returning Capital to Unit Holders

Due to the resilience of its business model, the partnership has been able to return capital to unitholders on an ongoing basis. Since its IPO, Enterprise Products has returned $62 billion to unitholders through both repurchases and distributions. EPD has increased distributions for 27 years consecutively. Thus, the partnership has become successful in keeping cash flow steady at all business cycles.

Should Investors Bet on the Stock Now?

Following the positive developments, EPD has risen 11% over the past six months, outperforming the industry’s 9%. Over the same time frame, Enbridge and Kinder Morgan have gained 7.6% and 18%, respectively.

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Investors should note that despite EPD's strong focus on returning capital, the partnership’s current distribution yield of 6.21% is lower than the industry’s 6.38%. Also, EPD has a significant exposure to debt capital compared to the composite stocks belonging to the energy sector.

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Thus, despite being undervalued and with all the positive developments in place, it is wise not to bet on the stock right away. But those who have already invested can retain the stock, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.