Market Signal Briefing

The following article is adapted from The Block's newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

Journalist

Posted: February 17, 2026

Bitcoin continued to spread weakness across cryptocurrencies on 17th of February 2026. Risk appetite fractured as Open Interest drained from Bitcoin and Ethereum while price momentum stalled.

BTC’s OI fell from over $12B in late January to $7.6B as price slid from the $80Ks into the $60Ks, with Ethereum mirroring the decline.

Meanwhile, HYPE’s Open Interest climbed toward $1.32B from $1.19B when it traded in the $29 range. Therefore, leverage did not vanish; it concentrated in one speculative pocket.

Was this calculated positioning or reckless escalation? However, more drama was unfolding around Machi Big Brother.

Machi expands $16M+ in leveraged positions Jeffrey Huang, known as Machi Big Brother, recorded $27.5 million in losses over 20 days on Hyperliquid and faced 145 liquidations since October 2025. Instead of slowing down, he increased risk.

He sold spot ETH and smaller tokens to raise collateral, rotating capital to support BTC, ETH, and HYPE longs.

His positions stood at 6,200 ETH, 25 BTC, and 55,000 HYPE, with the ETH long as his biggest conviction bet. Selling spot to leverage perps is a high-risk strategy that magnifies both gains and losses.

Source: Lookonchain

The $1.7M HYPE position also reflected a bet on the exchange gaining ground. If Bitcoin reclaimed $72K, momentum could lift all three positions.

Therefore, this was not about running out of money but a concentrated bet. However, if BTC failed to regain strength, pressure would build quickly.

OI battle: HYPE vs. BTC vs. ETH HYPE’s Open Interest remained elevated as Bitcoin [BTC] and Ethereum [ETH] OI declined steadily.

Source: CoinGlass

In particular, HYPE’s OI rose toward $1.32B while price climbed. Bulls appeared in control.

Source: CoinGlass

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s OI compressed sharply from post-crash highs.

As a result, leverage thinned in majors but thickened in Hyperliquid [HYPE]. This concentration created tension beneath the surface.

Conviction or pressure for Machi? BTC traders leaned net short at 56% versus 43% long, while ETH showed an even heavier short bias near 58%. However, HYPE flipped the setup with 69% long dominance.

Source: CoinGlass

This gap mattered. Risk appetite weakened in majors, but conviction concentrated in HYPE. Therefore, liquidation risk turned uneven.

BTC and ETH faced short squeeze risk, while HYPE faced long unwinds. Was Machi aiming for upside or chasing redemption?

Final Summary Leverage did not vanish; it migrated aggressively into HYPE.
Machi’s escalation reflected conviction or dangerous refusal to accept defeat.

Some reacted with concerns about dilution for existing shareholders due to the stock price decline and the related-party nature of the transaction.

Bitcoin (BTC) dipped below $67,000 at Tuesday’s Wall Street open as risk assets responded to new geopolitical pressures.

Key points:

Bitcoin joins stocks in a geopolitics-driven sell-off to the start the US TradFi trading week.

Bid liquidity gets crunched with the BTC price range still firmly in place.

Strategy adding to its BTC stack failed to offer any relief for Bitcoin bulls.

Tension in Iran keeps Bitcoin under pressureData from TradingView showed daily BTC price losses of more than 3.8% on Bitstamp.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Bitcoin and altcoins joined US stocks in a sell-off to start the week’s first US trading session thanks to market nerves over naval drills by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz — a key oil route.

Talks between the US and Iran, which the latter described as “serious and constructive,” concluded around the same time.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index were down by up to 1.25% at the time of writing, while gold dropped to lows of $4,842 per ounce.

XAU/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Analyzing exchange liquidity conditions on the day, X commentary account Exitpump was among those eyeing a sweep of range lows for BTC/USD next.

“Really huge bids are still sitting there in the spot orderbooks around 60K level,” it noted on data from both Binance and Coinbase.

Data from monitoring resource CoinGlass showed price slicing through nearby bid liquidity during the drop.

Binance BTC/USDT liquidation heatmap. Source: CoinGlass
The day prior, liquidity games formed the main source of volatility on Bitcoin, with both longs and shorts in the firing line.

“Nothing special on $BTC,” crypto trader, analyst and entrepreneur Michaël van de Poppe summarized. 

“It's stuck in a range and simply consolidating, through which it's a waiting game until volatility slows down and the expansion is about to game.” BTC/USDT four-hour chart. Source: Michaël van de Poppe/XInvestor O’Leary repeats Bitcoin quantum worriesNews that Strategy, the company with the world’s largest Bitcoin corporate treasury, had bought nearly 2,500 BTC over the past week, failed to impact the mood.

As confirmed by CEO Michael Saylor, Strategy’s total holdings rose to 717,131 BTC, with its average cost basis at just over $76,000.

Strategy BTC holdings (screenshot). Source: Strategy
At the same time, onchain data tracked potential outflows from the US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

BlackRock just deposited another 1,701 $BTC($115.2M) and 22,661 $ETH($44.5M) to Coinbase Prime.https://t.co/qmuDIrP9my pic.twitter.com/AxoghUGpf8

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 17, 2026 At the weekend, Shark Tank cohost and venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary told mainstream media that the threat of quantum computing cracking Bitcoin’s security model was keeping institutions away.

“I’m still long this, but there’s a new concern floating around for 10% of the people out there: quantum, the idea that a quantum computer can break the chain,” he said in an interview on FOX News.

O’Leary said that potential exposure was being capped at 3% of institutional portfolios as a result.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.

An exchange on social media between attorney and XRP supporter Bill Morgan and former SEC attorney Marc Fagel has once again brought the spotlight back to a long-running question in the crypto industry: Did regulators unintentionally shape the winners and losers of the crypto market?

The debate began when Fagel criticized crypto industry narratives, prompting Morgan to respond with a strong argument that regulatory decisions, especially who regulators chose to investigate and who they did not, may have helped create a market where a small number of cryptocurrencies dominate most of the total market value.

The Argument Over Selective EnforcementMorgan argued that some early crypto projects were never targeted by regulators even though they had token launches or strong market promotion. According to him, this uneven enforcement allowed certain cryptocurrencies to grow without major legal pressure, giving them a long-term advantage in adoption and market share.

Which would again mean the SEC case against Ripple—which, again, broke the law—had nothing to do with distorting the XRP market.

— Marc Fagel (@Marc_Fagel) February 16, 2026 Fagel pushed back, explaining that regulators cannot bring securities cases without identifying a clear issuer responsible for the asset. In the case of Bitcoin, he said, there was no central issuer to pursue, which made enforcement difficult. Even if enforcement actions could have been taken in some cases, he argued, that would not change whether other companies broke securities laws.

XRP’s Legal Battle Back in FocusThe discussion quickly shifted toward the long-running legal fight involving Ripple and XRP. Morgan emphasized that even though the XRP Ledger operates as a decentralized network, a lawsuit against Ripple inevitably affected XRP’s market position because Ripple was building many of the early real-world use cases connected to the asset.

Fagel responded that Ripple itself had successfully argued in court that many XRP buyers were not relying on the company’s actions when purchasing the token. If investors were not depending on Ripple, he suggested, then the regulatory case should not be blamed for XRP’s market performance.

Morgan disagreed, saying that XRP often moves with the broader crypto market, especially Bitcoin’s price action, but that the legal case still influenced investor perception and market share when compared with competing cryptocurrencies that did not face similar regulatory challenges.

A Debate That Still Shapes the Crypto IndustryThe Morgan and Fagel exchange shows a bigger issue that continues to divide the crypto world: whether the timing and focus of regulatory enforcement played a role in determining which cryptocurrencies gained dominance.

As new crypto regulations take shape globally, discussions like this show that the industry is still wrestling with an important question, not just how digital assets should be regulated, but whether earlier regulatory decisions already changed the competitive landscape of the market.

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XRP, the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has gained attention from the crypto community after a large transfer involving tens of millions of XRP stunned the market earlier today.

The transfer, which has stirred discussions across the crypto market, saw a total of 80,898,070 XRP worth over $117 million move among two unknown wallets, according to data provided by blockchain monitoring firm Whale Alert today, Feb. 17.

Although the nature of the transfer remains uncertain considering the undisclosed sender and receiver of the large XRP transaction, speculations predict the move has only sparked a selling narrative, with commentators suggesting that it could be Ripple selling.

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The selling narrative is attributable to the bearish sentiment looming across the crypto market, as the market is consistently faced with repeating price corrections, which has seen all leading cryptocurrencies trade in red territory.

XRP stays in redThe timing of the transfer has sparked more doubts than hopes in the minds of investors, as many predict that such a large XRP transfer at a time when the price of the asset has plummeted significantly is unlikely to be a bullish move from the sender.

While XRP has remained in red territory since the time of the transfer, data from CoinMarketCap shows that XRP has declined by 2.69% over the last 24 hours, trading at $1.45 as of writing time.

This shows that the large transfer spotted earlier has not in any way impacted the asset’s price movement positively. Nonetheless, market watchers have expressed concerns about XRP’s next price action amid its weak on-chain performances.

XRP ETFs see fading momentumWhile the XRP ETFs had started off very strong, recording significant daily gains as of the early days and weeks of launch, they have failed to maintain this strength.

Following sustained crypto market volatility, the funds have continued to see weak performances, recording little to no capital intake in recent days.

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XRP traded with muted volatility on Tuesday, capping a week of relative strength following last week’s decline.

Notably, over the past seven days, the remittance token has gained nearly 5%, standing out amid broad-based selling across major digital assets.

This strength has caught the attention of investors, with some analysts now mapping how the crypto asset could surge.

On Thursday, analyst Amonyx highlighted a developing divergence in the XRP-to-Bitcoin market cap ratio, noting that the metric is flashing a bullish signal reminiscent of previous cycles.

He explained that at the current ratio of 0.274, XRP’s market capitalization could reach around $2 trillion, valuing each token at roughly $34, while Bitcoin would be near $7.3 trillion, or about $370,000 per coin.

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The pundit further emphasized that even such a scenario would not constitute a new all-time high in the XRP/BTC ratio, suggesting there may still be room to expand relative to prior peaks.

Elsewhere, analyst Egrag Crypto weighed in on XRP’s long-term chart behavior. Since peaking at $3.66, the cryptocurrency has fallen roughly 63%, experiencing steady monthly declines since October 2025. Current chart data suggests XRP may be approaching a backtest of its November 2024 breakout.

The analyst noted that such a backtest is a natural part of market cycles, allowing the breakout to be tested for sufficient strength to sustain the previous uptrend. He emphasized that revisiting the resistance trendline, which has held for eight years, is “part of the plan.”

According to him, the market now awaits a “touch-and-go” signal: XRP briefly touches the trendline resistance and then rebounds, confirming a successful backtest. If this scenario unfolds, he projects a recovery range of $7.70 to $33, with key Fibonacci extensions at 1.272 ($9.13), 1.414 ($15.02), and 1.618 ($30.70) providing guidance.

Beyond price movements, on-chain data suggests a promising outlook for XRP. Activity on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has surged this week, with the number of active addresses nearly doubling from around 17,000 on Sunday to 32,700 by Wednesday, according to CryptoQuant.

This jump in on-chain engagement points to heightened interest in the protocol and signals improving confidence among XRP holders. At the same time, investors are advised to remain cautious, as sudden spikes in activity can also bring volatility and short-term price swings.

Institutional interest in XRP remains steady. U.S.-listed XRP spot ETFs have seen inflows for five straight days, including $3.26 million added on Tuesday alone. Overall, cumulative inflows now total $1.23 billion, with net assets under management at $1.01 billion, according to SoSoValue. These consistent ETF inflows reflect ongoing positive sentiment toward XRP as an asset.

At press time, XRP was trading at $1.45, reflecting a 1.14% decline in the past 24 hours.

Metaplanet stock fell about 37% in a month despite a 3% post-earnings bounce. The company posted ¥8.9B in revenue but recorded a ¥95B net loss due to Bitcoin valuation declines. With 35,102 BTC on its balance sheet, Metaplanet’s stock now closely tracks Bitcoin volatility. Tokyo-listed Metaplanet saw its stock fall sharply over the past month, even after posting explosive revenue growth in its latest fiscal results.The stock price decreased from the range of ¥540 to ¥550 to around ¥338, a fall of approximately 37% in a month. Although the stock price has shown a 3% increase after the earnings announcement, overall market sentiment is still cautious.

The market trend indicates increasing worries about Metaplanet’s aggressive approach to accumulating Bitcoin. Such volatility has also been observed in other stocks exposed to the crypto market, as described in Strategy’s Bitcoin-linked volatility shift and  Harvard’s crypto ETF reallocation.

Strong Revenue Growth, Massive Net Loss For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, Metaplanet reported ¥8.905 billion, roughly $58 million, in revenue. That figure represents a 738% year-over-year increase. Operating profit reached ¥6.287 billion, about $41 million, rising nearly 1,700% compared to the previous year.

Despite those impressive operational numbers, the company posted a net loss of approximately ¥95 billion, or $619 million. The loss came mainly from the non-cash valuation loss of approximately ¥102.2 billion, or $660 million, due to the fall in Bitcoin prices.

The accounting treatment for digital assets requires companies to value their digital assets at market value. As the price of Bitcoin changes, companies are required to show the effect of the change in their financial statements. This accounting treatment magnifies earnings volatility for firms with large crypto treasuries.

Bitcoin Strategy Amplifies Risk Metaplanet’s Bitcoin investment grew aggressively in 2025. The company’s total Bitcoin holdings at the end of 2025 were 35,102, up from 1,762 in the previous year. This is an improvement of about 1,892%.

This accumulation makes Metaplanet one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders globally and the largest in Japan. However, it also ties the company’s valuation closely to Bitcoin’s price performance.

Bitcoin’s recent correction erased substantial unrealized gains and turned them into significant paper losses. Metaplanet shares are now considered a leveraged play on Bitcoin itself.

Platforms that provide market data, such as CoinGecko, indicate that the recent volatility in Bitcoin has also led to increased volatility in crypto-related stocks. On the other hand, financial statements submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provide information on the impact of mark-to-market accounting on corporate crypto strategies.

Investor Sentiment and Outlook The sharp, almost 38% monthly decline reflects the dangers of tying equity valuation too closely to a highly volatile digital asset. While Metaplanet’s operational business has expanded significantly, the company’s net performance and balance sheet are still driven significantly by Bitcoin price movements.

Until such time as Bitcoin becomes more stable, Metaplanet’s stock performance will likely track general sentiment in the crypto markets. Investors looking to access exposure to corporate Bitcoin strategies must balance potential rewards with increased risks.

The strategy employed by Metaplanet illustrates a general corporate trend of incorporating crypto into treasury strategies. However, it also illustrates how rapidly market conditions can shift investor sentiment when volatility increases.

Highlighted Crypto News:

Zcash’s Original Builders Leave ECC to Launch ZODL Independent Development Entity

Major financial entities including BlackRock and Mastercard are reportedly assessing the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for potential integration into their digital asset strategies. Senior executive from XRPL Commons revealed that these industry giants are actively evaluating the network’s capabilities for supporting real-world financial applications, specifically focusing on cross-border payments and asset tokenization.

🚨 BREAKING:

Ripple Director Odelia Torteman confirms

🏦 Mastercard
💰 BlackRock
📈 Franklin Templeton

are showing interest in the #XRP Ledger 👀

Institutional eyes on XRPL. Big moves ahead? 🚀 pic.twitter.com/2aNh660XnM

— 🥷XRP OFFICIAL ☮️ ♋️ (@xrpofficial24) February 14, 2026

BlackRock and Mastercard Evaluation of Blockchain Utilities The potential involvement of traditional finance giants in the XRPL ecosystem underscores a wider trend of institutional convergence with blockchain technology. Odelia Torteman, Director of Corporate Adoption at XRPL Commons, confirmed in a recent statement that firms such as BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton have expressed definitive interest in the ledger’s utility for enterprise operations.

This development aligns with broader institutional efforts to achieve blockchain maturity. For instance, BlackRock has steadily expanded its digital asset footprint, moving beyond simple spot products to explore deeper infrastructure plays.

Similarly, Ripple Labs has worked to de-risk the ecosystem for regulated players. Ripple’s acquisition of an EMI license in Luxembourg reinforces the compliance-first environment that risk-averse institutions require for settlement operations.

XRP Ledger Technology Designed for Cross-Border Settlement The interest from Wall Street appears to stem from the ledger’s specific design architecture, which prioritizes speed, low transaction costs, and settlement finality over the general-purpose flexibility found on other networks. Torteman emphasized that the XRPL was “purpose-built for financial services,” focusing on transparent flows and institutional-grade settlement rather than being a retrofitted generalist network.

Recent technical enhancements have further tailored the network for enterprise use. The introduction of features like Token Escrow and Permissioned Domains reportedly allows institutions to engage with decentralized protocols while maintaining strict regulatory controls. These upgrades enable compliant asset issuance and controlled trading environments, which are essential prerequisites for tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs).

Furthermore, Ripple has continued to build out institutional-grade tools. Initiatives such as the Ripple Prime integration for institutional DeFi demonstrate how the ecosystem is creating bridges between traditional liquidity needs and on-chain mechanisms.

Potential Market Impact of Institutional Flows If these evaluations mature into live integrations, the role of XRP $1.48 24h volatility: 0.5% Market cap: $90.17 B Vol. 24h: $2.22 B as a bridge currency could expand significantly. By utilizing XRP for cross-border settlement, institutions can potentially minimize the capital inefficiencies associated with pre-funding nostro and vostro accounts globally.

Market analysts are watching these developments closely, as genuine institutional utility often precedes sustained value appreciation. While XRP recently hit a 15-month low, the long-term accumulation thesis relies heavily on the success of these high-level enterprise pilots. Additionally, with forecasts predicting a mainstream tokenization boom within the next three years, the ledger’s specific focus on cross-border flows places it in a strategic position to capitalize on updates to legacy banking systems.

Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.

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Daniel Frances is a technical writer and Web3 educator specializing in macroeconomics and DeFi mechanics. A crypto native since 2017, Daniel leverages his background in on-chain analytics to author evidence-based reports and deep-dive guides. He holds certifications from The Blockchain Council, and is dedicated to providing "information gain" that cuts through market hype to find real-world blockchain utility.

Gold and silver dropped Tuesday as investors waited for delayed economic data and saw little fresh geopolitical news in the holiday-shortened week.

Spot silver fell 2% to around $74.85 per ounce. Silver futures dropped 4% to $74.7 per ounce.

Mining stocks were also under pressure before the open. Hecla Mining, which owns the Green Creek Mine in Alaska, was down 3%. Endeavour Silver lost 3.5%.

First Majestic Silver fell nearly 4%. Coeur Mining slipped almost 3.4%. Teck Resources and Silvercorp Metals were each roughly 3% lower. Wheaton Precious Metals declined more than 2%.

Silver exchange-traded funds were hit harder. ProShares Ultra Silver was down 7% in premarket trading. iShares Silver Trust and ABRDN Physical Silver Shares ETF both fell just over 3%, according to FactSet.

Despite renewed tensions in the Middle East, analysts at Deutsche Bank said in a note Tuesday that silver was “trading $7 below its real adjusted price in 1790” after the morning drop.

Gold moved lower as well. Spot gold fell more than 1% to $4,931 per ounce. Gold futures declined nearly 2% to $4,952 per ounce.

Precious metals had already seen heavy swings this year. In late January, prices tumbled after President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve, which strengthened the U.S. dollar. Silver futures plunged 30% that day, the worst drop since March 1980.

Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

The renewed debate around Adam Back and Satoshi Nakamoto has shifted from identity speculation to a more structural question: does Bitcoin function as a democracy? The trigger was a public exchange over the meaning of “one-CPU-one-vote” in the 2008 Bitcoin whitepaper, with critics arguing that the phrase implies majority rule embedded in the protocol’s design.

"One-CPU-One-Vote" controversyBack rejects this framing directly. For him, Bitcoin (BTC) does not operate as a political voting system but as a technical consensus network. In his explanation, proof of work is not a ballot but a mechanism for resolving competing block histories under Byzantine conditions.

Hashpower determines which valid chain extends, yet validity itself is defined by nodes enforcing protocol rules. Miners cannot redefine those rules unilaterally because blocks that violate consensus are rejected regardless of computational weight.

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The distinction becomes operational when examining Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110, which proposes temporarily tightening "OP_RETURN" limits to restrict nonfinancial data, such as Ordinals inscriptions. 

never mind what the paper says, bitcoin is clearly not a democracy for nakamoto consensus changes. and proof of work which is what that quote is about, is a one hash one "vote" system, as a tie-breaker for byzantine agreement to solve the BGP problem with anonymous participants.

— Adam Back (@adam3us) February 17, 2026 The proposal relies on a User-Activated Soft Fork, meaning node operators would adopt new validation rules without requiring explicit miner-majority signaling. That mechanism tests the core claim: in Bitcoin, enforcement power rests with validating nodes rather than with a simple majority of hashpower.

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Back previously has criticized BIP-110 despite past support for limiting blockchain bloat, arguing that contentious rule changes activated without broad alignment risk network fragmentation and undermine Bitcoin’s stability as a monetary system. Current support levels among publicly visible nodes remain limited.

As it stands, if democracy implies majority rule overriding minority preferences, Bitcoin does not fit that description. Instead, it operates as a rules-enforced protocol, where consensus emerges from validation and economic coordination, not from ballots.

Ahmed Balaha

Author

Ahmed Balaha

Part of the Team Since

Aug 2025

About Author

Ahmed Balaha is a journalist and copywriter based in Georgia with a growing focus on blockchain technology, DeFi, AI, privacy, digital assets, and fintech innovation.

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XRP price is hanging on by a thread. After sliding nearly 29% in the past month, it is now battling to stay above key support while bears line up targets near $1.45. The chart does not look comfortable.

But here is the strange part.

While price has been bleeding, attention has exploded. A new Grayscale report shows XRP is now the second most talked about crypto asset in the market.

That kind of divergence does not usually last forever.

What Grayscale’s Sentiment Report SignalsThe chart looks heavy, but the hype is loud. Grayscale’s research team says advisors keep getting questions about XRP, calling it the second most talked about asset after Bitcoin.

That kind of attention hints at demand building beneath the surface, even if price has not responded yet.

"Advisors are constantly asked by their clients about $XRP, and in some cases, it's the second most talked about asset in this community behind Bitcoin."

As @Ray_scale shared during @Ripple’s XRP Community Day, advisors across the country consistently hear about $XRP from their… pic.twitter.com/ws3q1fJoZR

— Grayscale (@Grayscale) February 16, 2026 Still, hype has limits. The level that matters is $1.60 That is the wall active traders are watching.

Right now, XRP is trying to lead the post crash rotation. But without reclaiming key resistance, talk alone will not turn into a real breakout.

What Happens Next for XRP Price?Traders should brace for heightened crypto volatility in the coming sessions. If XRP price can establish a base above $1.45 and avoid a weekly close below $1.40, a relief bounce toward $1.90 is plausible.

Source: XRPUSD / TradingViewThis aligns with data showing whale wallets accumulating quietly during this dip.

Conversly, a confirmed break below $1.30 invalidates the bullish divergence and exposes the $1.11 zone. Smart money is watching the $1.50 daily close as the first sign of strength, but patience remains the primary edge in this market.

Ahmed Balaha

Ahmed Balaha is a journalist and copywriter based in Georgia with a growing focus on blockchain technology, DeFi, AI, privacy, digital assets, and fintech innovation.

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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has long held a significant stake in Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), benefiting from the beverage giant’s 63-year dividend growth streak. The company paid its most recent quarterly dividend of $0.51 per share on December 15, 2025, to shareholders of record as of December 1, 2025. At an annualized rate of $2.04 per share, this represents a substantial income stream for long-term holders.

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) maintains a 9.32% stake in Coca-Cola. The holding company itself pays no dividend, preferring to reinvest earnings and buy back stock, yet generates significant dividend income across its equity portfolio.

How Much Buffett Is Collecting From Coca-Cola Berkshire Hathaway owns approximately 400 million shares of Coca-Cola. With Coca-Cola paying an annual dividend of $2.04 per share, that stake generates roughly:

400,000,000 shares × $2.04 = $816 million per year

That breaks down to about $204 million every quarter flowing from Coca-Cola to Berkshire.

For a single stock position, that level of income is extraordinary. Coca-Cola has effectively become a steady cash-producing asset inside Berkshire’s portfolio, sending more than three-quarters of a billion dollars annually to the conglomerate without requiring Buffett to sell a single share.

The Power of Yield on Cost Buffett’s long-term investment approach with Coca-Cola demonstrates the compounding power of dividend growth over decades. The stock’s market value has multiplied many times over, while the dividend growth illustrates the compounding machine Buffett built through patient capital allocation.

Coca-Cola has raised its dividend for 63 consecutive years, earning Dividend King status. The most recent increase came in 2025, when the quarterly payout rose 5.2% from $0.485 to $0.51 per share. Over the past five years, the dividend has climbed from $1.60 in 2019 to $2.04 in 2025 – a 27.5% cumulative increase.

Dividend Sustainability: A Mixed Picture While the dividend growth streak remains intact, the underlying cash flow dynamics warrant attention. In 2025, Coca-Cola paid out $8.78 billion in dividends against operating cash flow of just $7.41 billion – a payout ratio of 118.5%. This means the company distributed more cash to shareholders than it generated from operations, supplementing the dividend through debt issuance or balance sheet reserves.

The same pattern emerged in 2024, when dividends totaled $8.36 billion against operating cash flow of $6.81 billion (a 122.8% payout ratio). By contrast, 2023 showed healthier coverage: $7.95 billion in dividends against $11.6 billion in operating cash flow, or 68.6%.

On a net income basis, the dividend remains well-covered. Full-year 2025 net income of $13.14 billion covered the $8.78 billion dividend payout at 1.5x. Still, the divergence between operating cash flow and dividend payments suggests either temporary working capital pressures or a deliberate shift in capital allocation that bears monitoring.

Business Performance and 2026 Outlook Coca-Cola reported Q4 2025 revenue of $11.82 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $0.58. For the full year, revenue reached $47.94 billion with operating income of $13.76 billion. Management guided to 4% to 5% organic revenue growth and 7% to 8% comparable EPS growth in 2026, with expected free cash flow of $12.2 billion – a meaningful improvement from recent years if realized.

The company continues to drive volume through innovation. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar posted 13% volume growth in Q4, and the company is expanding distribution of 7.5-ounce mini cans in convenience stores to capture on-the-go consumption. Mini cans already account for more than 9% of sparkling soft drink sales in large stores, indicating consumer appetite for portion-controlled formats.

Leadership changes are also underway. Henrique Braun will take over as CEO on March 31, 2026, succeeding James Quincey. The company appointed Sedef Salingan Sahin as Chief Digital Officer to accelerate digital transformation efforts.

What to Watch Investors should monitor whether Coca-Cola’s 2026 free cash flow guidance of $12.2 billion materializes. If achieved, it would restore comfortable dividend coverage and signal improved working capital management. The company is scheduled to present at the CAGNY conference on February 17, 2026, where incoming CEO Henrique Braun and CFO John Murphy are expected to detail volume and pricing strategies for the year ahead.

For Buffett and Berkshire, the Coca-Cola position exemplifies the value of buying quality businesses and holding them long enough for compounding to work. The dividend stream from this holding demonstrates how patient capital allocation in dividend-growing companies can generate substantial income over time.

For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.

The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.86% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: TransUnion (TRU - Free Report) Headquartered in Chicago, IL, TransUnion is one of the leading global providers of risk and information solutions to businesses and consumers. The company provides consumer reports, risk scores, analytical services and decision-making capabilities to businesses. What sets TransUnion apart are its distinctive and comprehensive datasets, next-generation technology and its analytics and decision-making capabilities — which enable it to deliver insights across the complete consumer lifecycle. TransUnion boasts rich domain proficiency across key industry verticals, including insurance, healthcare and financial services. It also caters to verticals like wireless, real estate and general commercial/business information. Possession of both nationwide consumer credit data and comprehensive, diverse public records data, enables the company to better predict behavior, assess risk and address a broader set of business issues for its customers.

TRU is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

It also boasts a Value Style Score of B thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 15.25; value investors should take notice.

Four analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.00 to $4.85 per share. TRU also boasts an average earnings surprise of +6.5%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, TRU should be on investors' short list.

Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.

The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.

Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.86% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: CVS Health (CVS - Free Report) Headquartered in Woonsocket, RI, CVS Health Corporation (formerly known as CVS Caremark Corporation) is a pharmacy innovation company with integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care. On Sep 3, 2014, CVS Caremark Corporation announced a change of its corporate name to CVS Health to reflect its broader healthcare commitment.

CVS is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

It also boasts a Value Style Score of A thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 10.96; value investors should take notice.

Three analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.00 to $7.16 per share. CVS boasts an average earnings surprise of +20.6%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, CVS should be on investors' short list.

The Utilities group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is Consolidated Edison (ED - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Utilities peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Consolidated Edison is one of 107 individual stocks in the Utilities sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #5 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Consolidated Edison is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ED's full-year earnings has moved 0.2% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, ED has gained about 14.5% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Utilities sector has returned an average of 11.1% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Consolidated Edison is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another Utilities stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Entergy (ETR - Free Report) . The stock has returned 13.7% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Entergy's current year EPS has increased 0.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Consolidated Edison belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 58 individual stocks and currently sits at #87 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 12.1% so far this year, so ED is performing better in this area. Entergy is also part of the same industry.

Investors interested in the Utilities sector may want to keep a close eye on Consolidated Edison and Entergy as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

Investors interested in Finance stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Ares Commercial Real Estate (ACRE - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Ares Commercial Real Estate is one of 853 companies in the Finance group. The Finance group currently sits at #4 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Ares Commercial Real Estate is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACRE's full-year earnings has moved 1533.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Our latest available data shows that ACRE has returned about 8.2% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 0.3% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Ares Commercial Real Estate is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Brookfield Asset Management (BAM - Free Report) is another Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 0.5%.

In Brookfield Asset Management's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Ares Commercial Real Estate belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust industry, which includes 31 individual stocks and currently sits at #187 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 2.9% this year, meaning that ACRE is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Brookfield Asset Management, however, belongs to the Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry. Currently, this 103-stock industry is ranked #84. The industry has moved -8.5% so far this year.

Ares Commercial Real Estate and Brookfield Asset Management could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

For those looking to find strong Computer and Technology stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Monolithic Power (MPWR - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Monolithic Power is a member of our Computer and Technology group, which includes 610 different companies and currently sits at #6 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Monolithic Power is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MPWR's full-year earnings has moved 5.8% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, MPWR has gained about 29.3% so far this year. At the same time, Computer and Technology stocks have lost an average of 2.6%. This means that Monolithic Power is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another Computer and Technology stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Ericsson (ERIC - Free Report) . The stock has returned 14.7% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Ericsson's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 9%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Monolithic Power belongs to the Semiconductor - Analog and Mixed industry, which includes 10 individual stocks and currently sits at #36 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 24.5% this year, meaning that MPWR is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Ericsson belongs to the Wireless Equipment industry. This 13-stock industry is currently ranked #90. The industry has moved +18.5% year to date.

Monolithic Power and Ericsson could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.

For those looking to find strong Basic Materials stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.

Nexa Resources S.A. is one of 254 companies in the Basic Materials group. The Basic Materials group currently sits at #2 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Nexa Resources S.A. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NEXA's full-year earnings has moved 100.4% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Based on the most recent data, NEXA has returned 34.8% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 21.3% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Nexa Resources S.A. is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (WPM - Free Report) . The stock is up 24.2% year-to-date.

For Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 26.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Nexa Resources S.A. belongs to the Mining - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 73 individual stocks and currently sits at #55 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 22.5% so far this year, meaning that NEXA is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. is also part of the same industry.

Going forward, investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to Nexa Resources S.A. and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. as they could maintain their solid performance.

Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Compass Therapeutics, Inc. (CMPX - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Compass Therapeutics, Inc. is one of 925 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #8 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Compass Therapeutics, Inc. is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMPX's full-year earnings has moved 5.6% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, CMPX has gained about 17% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Medical group have gained about 1.7% on average. This means that Compass Therapeutics, Inc. is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another Medical stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Ekso Bionics (EKSO - Free Report) . The stock has returned 14.2% year-to-date.

In Ekso Bionics' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 33.3% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Compass Therapeutics, Inc. belongs to the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, a group that includes 447 individual companies and currently sits at #82 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 7.7% so far this year, so CMPX is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Ekso Bionics belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry. This 83-stock industry is currently ranked #75. The industry has moved -9.8% year to date.

Investors interested in the Medical sector may want to keep a close eye on Compass Therapeutics, Inc. and Ekso Bionics as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is Ahold (ADRNY - Free Report) . ADRNY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 12.51. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 19.88. Over the past 52 weeks, ADRNY's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.34 and as low as 11.40, with a median of 12.65.

We also note that ADRNY holds a PEG ratio of 1.57. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. ADRNY's industry has an average PEG of 2.56 right now. Within the past year, ADRNY's PEG has been as high as 2.68 and as low as 1.51, with a median of 1.90.

We should also highlight that ADRNY has a P/B ratio of 2.26. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 5.81. Over the past year, ADRNY's P/B has been as high as 2.39 and as low as 1.78, with a median of 2.04.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. ADRNY has a P/S ratio of 0.4. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.

Finally, we should also recognize that ADRNY has a P/CF ratio of 5.79. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 13.97. Over the past 52 weeks, ADRNY's P/CF has been as high as 6.54 and as low as 5.03, with a median of 5.73.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Ahold's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, ADRNY looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

The Consumer Discretionary group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Cintas (CTAS - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Cintas is a member of our Consumer Discretionary group, which includes 256 different companies and currently sits at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Cintas is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for CTAS' full-year earnings has moved 0.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, CTAS has returned 2.9% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Consumer Discretionary group have lost about 4.6% on average. This means that Cintas is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Consumer Discretionary sector, Legacy Education Inc. (LGCY - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 13.4%.

For Legacy Education Inc., the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Cintas is a member of the Textile - Apparel industry, which includes 21 individual companies and currently sits at #67 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 3.3% so far this year, so CTAS is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

On the other hand, Legacy Education Inc. belongs to the Schools industry. This 17-stock industry is currently ranked #50. The industry has moved +2% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to pay close attention to Cintas and Legacy Education Inc. as they could maintain their solid performance.

Key Takeaways Celestica is gaining from AI-driven demand for 800G and 1.6T switches and hyperscaler deals.Zacks estimates project 51% sales growth for CLS in 2025, with EPS up 7.55% in 60 days.JBL is expanding full-stack AI infrastructure and generated $1.3B in fiscal 2025 free cash flow. Celestica, Inc. (CLS - Free Report) and Jabil, Inc. (JBL - Free Report) are leading electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers, offering design, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions to major technology and industrial companies worldwide.

The EMS industry is highly competitive and rapidly evolving. Hyperscalers’ push for quick expansion of AI data centers, growing trends of outsourcing of engineering, system integration, assembly by original equipment manufacturers across the industry, rising emphasis on automation, investment in industry 4.0 standards, and the strategy of localizing manufacturing to avert geopolitical risks are major drivers of the EMS industry.

With domain-specific expertise in core areas, both Celestica and Jabil are strategically positioned in this evolving EMS landscape. Let us dive deeper into the companies’ competitive dynamics to understand which of the two is relatively better placed in the industry.

The Case for CelesticaCelestica is benefiting from solid momentum in the Connectivity & Cloud Solutions segment. Enterprises across industries are rapidly expanding their AI capabilities. This is pushing hyperscalers to quickly expand their AI data center footprint to support this surging demand. This market trend is driving demand for Celestica’s 800G switches. Demand for 400G switches remained strong.

Management expects the rapid AI buildouts will create a strong demand for 1.6 T switches in the upcoming years. It has already introduced 1.6T switches that capitalize on this emerging market trend. The company has secured a design and manufacturing award for the 1.6T networking switch platform with several hyperscalers.

Celestica is extending its collaboration with major hyperscalers like Google. Leveraging CLS’ expertise, Google is developing advanced data center hardware and systems. Celestica is the preferred manufacturing partner for Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU). The company is steadily expanding its capacity and capabilities in the United States and globally to support the growing adoption of Google’s custom silicon TPU systems.

Celestica generated $458 million in free cash flow in 2025, exceeding its annual outlook. The company reported 43% return on invested capital, up 14% year over year. This is the result of disciplined working capital management and a strong focus on profitability. Investment in growth initiatives is not taking up excessive working capital. Such an approach allows it to gain a competitive edge against other major EMS players, such as Jabil and Flex Ltd. (FLEX - Free Report) .

The Case for JabilJabil is betting big on the AI data center market. The company’s innovation strategy is focused on becoming full stack AI infrastructure partner for hyperscalers. Hence, the company is expanding its portfolio to cater to all critical aspects of AI infrastructure, including compute, networking, power distribution and thermal cooling capabilities.

Over the past few years, the company has strengthened its capabilities in liquid cooling and thermal management with strategic acquisitions. The company has developed a strong capability in chip-level cooling, rack-level cooling and network cooling that can support increasing AI power density in data centers. The company offers fully integrated systems that incorporate compute, networking, power distribution and advanced cooling, streamlining deployment time and reducing total cost of ownership for hyperscalers. These factors are driving demand for its reliability among hyperscalers.

Jabil’s free cash flow was $1.3 billion in fiscal 2025, and it remains committed to generating more than $1.3 billion in free cash flow in fiscal 2025. A higher free cash flow indicates efficient financial management practices, optimum utilization of assets and improved operational efficiency.

However, the company faces stiff competition from both domestic and international electronic manufacturers, manufacturing service providers and design providers. Flex is aggressively moving into the high-growth data center market. Flex announced a partnership with LG Electronics to co-develop integrated modular cooling systems designed to tackle the growing thermal challenges of AI-driven data centers. Also, Flex announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to build modular, high-performance, energy-efficient AI data centers at scale. Such initiatives can pose a threat to Jabil’s AI data center expansion initiative. Supply chain disruptions and elevated variable costs have hurt the company’s profitability. Moreover, its global presence exposes it to forex volatility.

How Do Zacks Estimates Compare for CLS & JBL?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Celestica’s 2025 sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 51.16% and 72.5%, respectively. The EPS estimates have been trending northward (7.55%) over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Jabil’s 2025 sales implies year-over-year growth of 15.21%, while that of EPS suggests growth of 31.96%. The EPS estimates have been trending northward (4.42%) over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Price Performance & Valuation of CLS & JBLOver the past year, Celestica has gained 112.5% compared with the industry’s growth of 71.9%. Jabil has gained 50.1% over the same period.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Jabil looks more attractive than Celestica from a valuation standpoint. Going by the price/earnings ratio, Jabil’s shares currently trade at 20.47 forward earnings, lower than 30.09 for Celestica.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

CLS or JBL: Which is a Better Pick?While Jabil carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), Celestica carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Celestica and Jabil are both set to benefit from hyperscalers’ AI infrastructure spending in the upcoming quarters. However, Jabil is affected by weakness in the Connected Living and Digital Commerce segment. The outlook in the automotive and renewable energy markets remains muted. Its strategic acquisition raises integration risks. Consequently, with growing collaboration with hyperscalers and growing demand for its next-generation 800G and 1.6T switches, Celestica is better positioned to get an upper hand in the AI data center market. Unlike Jabil, Celestica has much less exposure to the consumer electronics market, which has substantial volatility. Celestica’s EPS estimates show stronger upward movement than Jabil. Hence, with a better price performance and a Zacks Rank #2, Celestica appears to be a better investment option right now.