Stock Market News Wrap: Thursday, February 12, 2026

• Indices Snap Winning Streak: The Indian equity markets ended their rally today, closing significantly lower. The BSE Sensex fell 558.72 points (0.66%) to close at 83,674.92, while the Nifty 50 declined 146.65 points (0.57%) to settle at 25,807.20.
• IT Sector "Bloodbath": The primary drag on the market was the IT sector. The Nifty IT index plunged over 5.5%, its sharpest single-day fall in months, driven by global fears that new AI agents (specifically from Anthropic) could severely impact the business models of traditional IT services companies.
• FII/DII Activity: Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net buyers in the previous session (buying ~₹125 crore), while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were net sellers, though today's provisional data suggests continued volatility.

Top Gainers & Losers

• Top Losers (IT Heavyweights): Tech Mahindra was the biggest loser, crashing 6.40%. Other major IT giants followed suit, with Infosys (-6.01%), TCS (-5.82%), HCL Tech (-5.20%), and Wipro (-4.70%) all seeing heavy sell-offs.
• Top Gainers: Despite the negative sentiment, Bajaj Finance rallied 3.18% to emerge as the top gainer. Shriram Finance (+2.48%) and Eicher Motors (+1.06%) also posted strong gains.
• Banking Support: ICICI Bank rose 1.31%, helping cushion the market's fall slightly.

Corporate & Sector News

• Eicher Motors Hits Record High: Shares of Eicher Motors hit a fresh record high today. Investor sentiment was boosted by the board's approval of a ₹958 crore investment to expand Royal Enfield’s production capacity to 20 lakh units annually.
• ICICI Bank Acquisition Approval: The RBI approved ICICI Prudential AMC and ICICI Group to acquire up to a 9.95% stake in 8 banks, including heavyweights like HDFC Bank and Federal Bank.
• Lenskart's Massive Growth: Unlisted unicorn Lenskart was in the news for reporting a 71-fold jump in net profit to ₹131 crore for the quarter, with revenue growing 38%.
• Ather Energy Stake Sale: Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and others collectively bought a 1.92% stake in electric scooter maker Ather Energy for nearly ₹521 crore via open market transactions.
• Bharat Electronics (BEL) Order Book: BEL stock ended nearly 1% higher despite market weakness, supported by a strong order book and recent defense/IT contracts worth over ₹700 crore.

Quarterly Earnings (Q3 FY26) Updates

• Coal India Profit Dip: Coal India reported a 16% YoY decline in consolidated net profit to ₹7,166 crore. However, the company declared a 3rd interim dividend of ₹5.50 per share.
• Hindalco Earnings: Hindalco Industries reported a sharp 45.1% YoY fall in consolidated net profit to ₹2,049 crore for the December quarter.
• IRCTC Profit Jump: IRCTC reported a 16% YoY increase in net profit to ₹394 crore and declared an interim dividend of ₹3.50 per share.
• HAL Soars: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) saw its Q3 net profit jump 29.6% YoY, driven by inventory destocking and strong execution.
• Apex Frozen Foods Circuit: The stock hit a 20% upper circuit after reporting a turnaround net profit of ₹10.09 crore compared to a loss in the previous year.
• Muthoot Finance: Reported a massive 95% YoY jump in net profit to ₹2,656 crore, with Net Interest Income rising 64%.

Economic & Global Cues

• Mixed Global Markets: Asian markets were mixed, with Japan and South Korea hitting highs while Hong Kong declined. This mixed global sentiment, combined with specific sector fears (AI impact on IT), kept Indian investors cautious.
• Rupee vs Dollar: The currency markets remained relatively stable, though the dollar index's movement is being watched closely ahead of US economic data.