Stocks to Watch on Thursday: Cochin Shipyard, HUL, BEL and Others
The stock-specific actions are likely to continue, and here is the list of stocks to watch out for on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
Company
| Key Announcement
| Why It Matters
|
Cochin Shipyard Ltd
| Wins contract worth over ₹2,000 crore from CMA CGM, France, to build six feeder container vessels
| Strong order inflow, revenue visibility
|
Hindustan Unilever Ltd
| Approves ₹2,000 crore capex to expand Beauty & Wellbeing and Home Care manufacturing
| Growth expansion, long-term demand play
|
Bharat Electronics Ltd
| Board meeting on Feb 27 to consider second interim dividend FY26
| Dividend trigger, PSU investor interest
|
Zydus Lifesciences Ltd
| US FDA approval for Bosentan tablets (pulmonary arterial hypertension)
| Export revenue boost
|
Bharat Forge Ltd
| MoU with VVDN Technologies for auto, defence and data centre solutions
| Defence & electronics diversification
|
Dr Reddy's Laboratories
| $32.15 million deal with Mercury Pharma to acquire Progynova brands
| Portfolio expansion in global markets
|
Institutional Flows – FIIs and DIIs
On February 18, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers, having bought equities worth ₹1,154.34 crore. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), on the other hand, bought shares totalling ₹440.34 crore during the same session.
FIIs have emerged as net buyers for two consecutive trading sessions.
Wednesday’s Market Action
On Wednesday, the Indian stock market ended higher in a choppy session, extending gains for the third consecutive session, staging a gradual recovery, led by decent buying across most sectors.
The Sensex rallied 283.29 points, or 0.34%, to close at 83,734.25, while the Nifty 50 settled 93.95 points, or 0.37%, higher at 25,819.35.
Wall Street Closed Higher on Wednesday
The US stock market ended higher on Wednesday, supported by gains in technology shares after recent concerns around artificial intelligence eased.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.26% to 49,662.66, the S&P 500 advanced 0.56% to 6,881.31, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.78% to 22,753.64.
Among major movers, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Tesla traded higher, while storage-related firms also posted gains.
The US dollar was off recent lows and hanging on to a bounce after the US Fed meeting showed policymakers did not seem to be in a rush to cut interest rates and that several were open to hikes if inflation proved sticky.
US Fed Meeting Minutes: Signals Flexible Policy Path Ahead
The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting led by Jerome Powell showed policymakers voted 10–2 to keep the federal funds rate steady at 3.50%–3.75% after three cuts in 2025, citing resilient growth but persistent inflation risks.
Officials signalled flexibility, keeping both rate cuts and hikes possible depending on inflation trends, while noting a stabilising labour market and steady economic outlook into 2026, though uncertainty around artificial intelligence remains a key factor ahead of the March meeting.
Commodities – Gold, Silver and Crude Oil
Gold slipped to around $4,960 per ounce on Thursday, remaining choppy after retreating from late-January record levels as markets continued to assess the latest FOMC minutes.
Spot silver eased 0.5% to $76.83 per ounce, declining for the 4th consecutive trading session
WTI crude oil futures jumped by 0.5% to trade at $65 on Thursday. Oil futures edge lower in the morning Asian session on a likely technical correction after futures rose sharply overnight.
