Dear Reader,
One of the market's greatest "sleeper stocks" may be about to wake up.
And Wall Street has begun to take notice.
The ticker shot up 5% in a single week as analysts recently raised its price target - and elevated the stock from a "Hold" to a "BUY."
In fact, one 50-year Wall Street legend just named it his #1 stock of 2026 - live, on-camera.
When you see the role this company is playing in a $269 billion market, you'll understand why he's telling his 800,000 followers to put $1,000 into the stock NOW.
(And why BlackRock even made a multi-billion-dollar offer to buy the company behind it.)
Right now, institutional investors hold over 50% of the stock.
But the tide may soon be about to change, as more and more retail investors catch onto its extraordinary potential.
The best part?
As of this writing, it's trading just around $15 a share.
That's one-twelfth the price of Nvidia (NVDA).
So if you missed out on NVDA's extraordinary runup...
This is your rare second chance to get in NOW, before this undervalued stock could become one of the best-performing stocks of the new year.
Click here to get the name and ticker, 100% free.
Regards,
Kelly Brown
Host, Chaikin Analytics
Can Analog Devices Really Hit $400 This Year?
Authored by Thomas Hughes. Article Posted: 2/18/2026.
Key Points
- Analog Devices has a strengthening tailwind from end-market normalization and data center demand.
- Guidance is of "wow" quality and is likely to be cautious.
- Analysts are lifting price targets, pointing to fresh highs this year.
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Analog Devices’ (NASDAQ: ADI) share price could top $400 this year, driven by a rapidly improving outlook that was reinforced by the company’s fiscal Q1 2026 earnings report.
End-market normalization is emerging as a strong tailwind as AI boosts datacenter and broader semiconductor demand. For ADI investors, that translates into sustained, accelerating revenue growth, wider margins, and stronger cash flow to support healthy capital returns.
Analog Devices Reports 4th Quarter of Accelerating Growth: Guidance Wows
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Analog Devices delivered a strong quarter, with growth across all end markets. The company reported $3.16 billion in net revenue, a 30.6% year-over-year (YOY) increase that beat consensus by 130 basis points. Industrial and Communications (which includes the data center business) led the way with gains of 38% and 63%, respectively.
Automotive was the weakest link, up 8%, but it is expected to strengthen over time. Consumer grew an impressive 27%.
Margin performance was notable. The company expanded its GAAP margin by a four-digit basis-point figure and its adjusted margins by a three-digit basis-point figure. Adjusted gross margin improved by 240 basis points, and adjusted operating margin widened by 500 basis points, helping drive a 52% increase in adjusted earnings and robust free cash flow.
Operating cash flow improved 43% on a trailing 12-month basis, while free cash flow rose 39% to more than $4.5 billion.
Strong free cash flow is important because it enables reinvestment, capital returns and balance-sheet maintenance.
Guidance was the headline driver. The company’s forecast for Q2 revenue and earnings came in well above consensus at the low end of the range, implying at least 500 basis points of outperformance versus expectations and more than 1,000 basis points at the high end. Given the results and clear momentum, the company is likely to perform at the high end of its range, if not exceed guidance.
Analog Devices Capital Return Is Dialing in on Dividend Aristocrat Status
Analog Devices' capital return program is notable, particularly its track record of dividend increases. The company announced its 22nd consecutive annual increase alongside its fiscal Q1 release, sustaining a low-double-digit distribution CAGR and putting it on track to become a Dividend Aristocrat by the decade’s end. (Note that the company's fiscal reporting period does not align with the calendar year.)
Inclusion in the Dividend Aristocrats index matters because it tends to increase buy-and-hold ownership, which can reduce share-price volatility. For now, the dividend remains safe at less than 50% of the earnings outlook and yields a market-average 1.15% as of the pre-release close.
Share repurchases are also meaningful. Q1 buybacks reduced the share count by roughly 1.4% year over year in the quarter and are expected to continue at a similar pace. The balance sheet shows no red flags: cash and current assets increased, long-term debt moved lower, and equity remained steady. Leverage is low, with cash up 16% year-to-date and long-term debt roughly 2.5x the cash balance and 0.2x equity.
Analysts Trends Drive Analog Devices’ Market Sentiment
The initial analysts’ response to Analog Devices’ FQ1 report has been bullish, continuing the recent trend. Price-target increases from Stifel Nicolaus and Cantor Fitzgerald pushed the stock to the high end of its target range; Cantor’s $400 target aligns with the current high and implies roughly 18% upside from the pre-release level, which could be reached before the back half of the year.
MarketBeat data shows strong analyst coverage with 29 tracked analysts — up from the prior year — supporting a firming Moderate Buy consensus and rising price targets.
Institutional activity is also supportive. While institutional selling increased over the past 12 months, the quarterly balance remained net positive throughout the year and continued that trend into early 2026.
In the first six weeks of the year, there has been more than $1.50 of purchases for every $1.00 of sales, a tailwind for the stock given an 87% institutional ownership rate.
Short sellers do not appear to be a meaningful headwind. Short interest is low — below 2% — and declining as of early February.
Analog Devices Rockets Higher on Strong Results
Analog Devices’ shares jumped more than 5% in premarket trading following the release. The move reflects investors’ positive surprise and suggests upward momentum may continue. The main risk is profit-taking, which could cap near-term gains and cause the stock to consolidate at new highs or correct before resuming an advance to fresh highs.
3 Overlooked Dividend Stocks for Choppy Markets in 2026
Authored by Nathan Reiff. Article Posted: 2/18/2026.
Key Points
- Three lesser-known dividend players—Hancock Whitney, NewMarket, and Horace Mann Educators—all have dividend yields of at least 2%.
- These smaller companies could provide growth opportunities that larger dividend names may not, in addition to offering the benefit of passive income.
- Each has recently seen notable earnings performance, including a combination of top- and/or bottom-line growth, shareholder value boosts thanks to share buybacks, and more.
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Choppiness in the S&P 500 has produced periods of gains and declines, unlike the clearer upward trend seen in late 2025. If investors fear a market correction—the popping of an AI bubble, for instance—they may turn to safer defensive plays, including dividend stocks.
Within the world of dividend plays there is wide variety. Many investors immediately think of long-time favorites and household brands known for stability. A lesser-known group includes firms off the beaten path that may offer more growth potential than those stalwart dividend names. Three relatively obscure companies still paying healthy dividends are Hancock Whitney Corp. (NASDAQ: HWC), NewMarket Corp. (NYSE: NEU), and Horace Mann Educators Corp. (NYSE: HMN).
A Southern Bank With Strong Capital and Bond Momentum
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I Called Black Monday. Now I'm Calling March 26!
I predicted the 1987 crash six weeks early. I called the fall of the Berlin Wall. I pinpointed the exact bottom in 2009.
Now I'm staking my reputation on March 26, 2026 - the day I believe Elon will announce the SpaceX IPO.
Bloomberg is calling it "the biggest listing of ALL TIME."
A $1.5 TRILLION valuation... the "wealth-building" moment of the decade.
Today, I'll show you how to get in before the big announcement.
Hancock Whitney is a bank holding company best known to customers in the Gulf South region. It provides commercial and retail banking and wealth management services through Hancock Whitney Bank branches.
The company yields an attractive 2.53% and has a sustainable payout ratio of 31.7%. Its latest earnings report for Q4 2025 was mixed: a $0.01 EPS beat but a notable revenue miss.
Still, several factors make Hancock Whitney compelling in early 2026. The company recently completed a bond-portfolio restructuring that should add roughly 7 basis points to net interest margin (NIM) and about $0.23 to EPS annually. Loan growth is improving, and a favorable capital position funded share buybacks equal to roughly 3% of outstanding shares in the fourth quarter alone.
That capital cushion supports continued dividend payments, making Hancock Whitney a relatively stable dividend play for investors looking to manage risk.
Even With Market Softness, NewMarket Remains an Attractive Dividend Play
NewMarket, a chemicals company specializing in lubricants and petroleum additives, has seen its shares fall roughly 14% year-to-date (YTD) following the company's latest earnings report.
One key driver was a decline in net income and EPS in 2025 due to a higher effective tax rate. Fourth-quarter petroleum additives shipments were down about 6% year-over-year amid a softer market.
Meanwhile, NewMarket's specialty materials business has performed well, helped by the October acquisition of aerospace propellant firm Calca. The company has committed $1 billion to grow this segment, which should remain a strategic focus in 2026.
Despite a Hold rating from Wall Street, NewMarket remains a solid dividend play. The company continues to generate cash, returning $183 million to shareholders last quarter through share buybacks and dividends.
NewMarket offers a 2.01% dividend yield, a payout ratio just above 27%, and a multi-year history of dividend increases.
Wins Across Multiple Categories Strengthen Horace Mann's Dividend Profile
Retirement services and property-and-casualty insurer Horace Mann Educators tailors products to school employees across the United States.
The company has reported multiple strong quarters, including its latest, which featured a $0.03 EPS beat and contributed to record full-year EPS of $4.71. 2026 EPS forecasts align with the company's 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) target.
Horace Mann's gains are due in part to its property-and-casualty business, which saw material improvements in the combined ratio and core earnings that more than doubled year over year. Growth in both individual supplemental products and group sales has helped the company further diversify its revenue mix.
An early retirement program has generated annualized savings of $10 million, putting Horace Mann on track to reduce its expense ratio by the targeted 100 to 150 basis points over the next three years. That should free up cash for additional share buybacks—on top of $21 million repurchased in 2025—and support the company's dividend.
Horace Mann currently yields 3.25% with a payout ratio of 35.9%.
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