UK-founded legaltech Lawhive has raised $60 million in a Series B round led by Mitch Rales to accelerate expansion across the United States and deepen its AI-driven operating model. The round, announced 5 February 2026, included participation from GV, Balderton Capital, TQ Ventures, Jigsaw, Anton Levy and LTS, and follows a $40 million Series A less than a year earlier. Lawhive says annualised revenue has surpassed $35 million after sevenfold growth in the past 12 months. The company operates in 35 US states, supports more than 450 lawyers across its US and UK firms, and is opening a New York office alongside an Austin base. Lawhive runs an AI operating system and an ‘AI paralegal’ called Lawrence that automates document drafting, legal research, intake, case management and back-office tasks. The firm positions itself as a vertically integrated, AI-native consumer law firm aiming to cut costs and increase access to routine legal services; it also expanded in the UK via acquisition of Woodstock Legal Services.

Essex Property Trust Inc. (NYSE: ESS) on Feb. 4-5, 2026 reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results and issued stronger-than-expected 2026 guidance. Q4 2025 core FFO per diluted share was $3.98 (up 1.5% year-on-year) and full-year core FFO was $15.94. GAAP net income per diluted share fell to $1.25 in Q4 from $4.00 a year earlier, reflecting prior-year gains. The REIT reported Q4 revenue of about $479.6 million and same-property revenue growth of 3.8% for the quarter. Essex set Q1 2026 EPS guidance at $3.890–4.010 and FY 2026 EPS guidance at $15.690–16.190, well above recent Street consensus figures. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $2.57 (annualized $10.28; ~4.1% yield) and ended 2025 with over $1.7 billion of immediately available liquidity. In the fourth quarter it issued $350 million of 10-year senior unsecured notes at a 4.875% coupon. Shares traded near $253 with a market capitalisation around $16.3 billion. Separately, Zurcher Kantonalbank trimmed its ESS holding by 8,788 shares to 59,898 in recent 13F filings.

Align Technology on Feb. 4 reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results marked by record revenue, higher case volumes and improved margins. Q4 total revenue was $1.048 billion, up 5.3% year-over-year and 5.2% sequentially; clear aligner revenue was $838.1 million (up 5.5% YoY) with a record 676,900–677,000 clear aligner cases in Q4 (up 7.7% YoY). Full-year 2025 revenue totaled $4.0 billion (up 1%) with record clear aligner shipments of about 2.6 million cases (up 4.7%). Non-GAAP gross margin was 72.0% and non-GAAP operating margin about 26.1%, both above outlook. Align finished the year with $1.095 billion in cash, Q4 operating cash flow of $223.2 million and free cash flow of $187.3 million; it repurchased 2.9 million shares for $465.9 million in 2025 and has roughly $831.2 million remaining under a $1 billion buyback. Management highlighted international strength (EMEA, Latin America, APAC), growing teen/kid starts and DSO penetration (~25% of volume), while calling the macro backdrop “dynamic” and providing cautious 2026 guidance.

The Ensign Group Inc reported record fiscal 2025 results and on Feb. 4-5, 2026 issued 2026 guidance that topped street estimates. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2025 the company recorded GAAP diluted EPS of $5.84 and adjusted EPS of $6.57, with consolidated revenue of $5.06 billion and skilled services revenue of $4.84 billion. Fourth-quarter adjusted EPS was $1.82 on $1.36 billion of revenue (a slight miss versus consensus). Management set FY2026 guidance of $7.41–$7.61 in EPS and revenue around $5.77–$5.84 billion. Operational metrics improved: same-facility occupancy and transitioning occupancy hit record highs (83.8% and 84.9% respectively) and Medicare mix and skilled days rose. The company also highlighted growth in its Standard Bearer real-estate segment. Shares traded around $171–$173, valuing the company at about $10.03 billion, while insiders — including director Barry Smith — disclosed recent sales (Smith sold 700 shares on Feb. 2). Institutional ownership remains high.

Medtronic plc said on Feb. 3, 2026 it will exercise an option to acquire Israeli diagnostics firm CathWorks for up to $585 million, with additional milestone/earn-out payments possible. The deal—announced from Medtronic’s Galway, Ireland office—builds on a 2022 co-promotion agreement for CathWorks’ AI-driven FFRangio system, which derives fractional flow reserve (FFR) from routine angiograms to assess coronary physiology. Closing is subject to customary regulatory approvals, including review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and is expected by the end of Medtronic’s fiscal 2026. Medtronic said the purchase should be immaterial to GAAP and adjusted EPS in fiscal 2027 and neutral-to-accretive thereafter. The announcement coincided with active institutional positioning in Medtronic stock: Cullen Capital trimmed its stake by about 1.1% (29,045 shares sold, per a Feb. 5 filing), Davidson Investment Advisors sold 1,752 shares (Feb. 4), while Zurich Cantonalbank added roughly 60,930 shares (Feb. 4). Analysts have flagged the deal as a strategic bolt-on that could expand recurring software and diagnostics revenue streams for Medtronic’s cardiovascular portfolio.

Multiple institutional investors disclosed position changes in Meta Platforms this week (filings Feb. 3–5, 2026), reflecting mixed but predominantly constructive positioning after Meta’s Jan. 28 Q4 beat and an aggressive ~30% Q1 revenue guide. Buyers included Saxon Interests (holding ~$5.66m), National Wealth Management (~$5.83m), Nicola Wealth (41,000 shares), AEGON Asset Management UK (added 13,739 shares to hold 465,288), Davidson Investment Advisors (+40,344 shares) and other funds. Several managers and pensions reduced or exited positions, notably Zurcher Kantonalbank (sold 1,084,925 shares) and AMF Tjanstepension (sold 217,672 shares), while Kornitzer and Sovran trimmed holdings. Insiders have also pared stakes in recent months (including Javier Olivan and Andrew Bosworth). Wall Street largely raised price targets after the results; MarketBeat consensus sits near $848.50. Shares pulled back in early February amid profit‑taking, but institutional ownership remains high (~79.9%) and the company’s market cap stays in the multi‑trillion dollar range. The filings highlight divergent tactical bets as markets weigh strong top‑line momentum against rising AI and infrastructure spending and regulatory risk.

Shares of SoFi Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFI) tumbled in early February 2026, falling as much as 6.4% intraday and trading around $20–$21 after heightened volume and volatility. The move followed mixed analyst activity: J.P. Morgan upgraded SOFI to Overweight with a $31 price target on Feb. 3, while other houses trimmed targets (Needham cut its target to $33). SoFi reported a strong Q4 on Jan. 30 — $1.01 billion revenue and $0.13 EPS, beating estimates — and set Q1 2026 guidance around $0.120 EPS and FY 2026 around $0.600 EPS. Options markets showed elevated activity and rising implied volatility, with contemporaneous put/call readings reported between 0.34 and 0.58. Institutional filings show active repositioning: SBI Securities boosted its stake (Q3 filing) and Machina Capital added shares, while insiders have sold material blocks over recent months. Valuation metrics remain rich (P/E north of 50) and market commentary highlights a divergence between execution and short‑term risk‑off flows.

A cluster of analyst actions and elevated trading in early February 2026 boosted shares of multiple US-listed biotechnology firms. On Feb. 5 Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage of Karyopharm Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KPTI) with an "overweight" rating; Karyopharm shares opened at $6.30 and the company has a market value around $115 million. Cantor Fitzgerald and other brokers on Feb. 4 raised their price target for CytomX Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CTMX) to $10, backing an "overweight"/"buy" consensus; CTMX traded near $6 and hit a 52-week high on Feb. 3 amid rising analyst optimism. Separately, MBX Biosciences (NASDAQ:MBX) saw unusually strong trading volume on Feb. 3 as several firms maintained or raised buy ratings and price targets, and ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX) traded up ~3.3% on Feb. 3–4 following multiple target increases and heavy insider selling disclosed in SEC filings. Institutional ownership is sizable across these names (reported institutional stakes ranged ~66–69% for some firms). Traders and small-cap biotech investors responded to the wave of positive research notes and heightened market activity across the sector.

Shares of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) fell about 3–4% in early February 2026 after a raft of institutional and insider transactions and a high‑profile analyst downgrade. Filings show Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake by 57.7% (selling 34,331 shares), Zurich Cantonalbank exited a large position (87,952 shares) and smaller funds both added and trimmed holdings (RCS Financial bought 7,974 shares; BankPlus Trust bought 510). CEO George Kurtz sold 6,777 shares on Feb. 2 (having sold larger blocks in December), CFO Burt Podbere sold 1,630 shares on Feb. 2, and other insiders disclosed recent sales; filings show insiders sold roughly 63,523 shares in the past quarter (about $30.5m). Zacks Research downgraded CRWD to “strong sell” on Feb. 4, adding to near‑term selling pressure. CrowdStrike reported Q4/FY2026 results in December (EPS $0.96, revenue $1.23bn, revenue +21.8% year‑on‑year) and was recently named a Gartner Customers’ Choice for multiple product lines. Institutional ownership remains high (≈71%). The company has scheduled a Q4/FY2026 results call that could drive further volatility.

Match Group Inc. reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and raised guidance for 2026 while outlining a product-led turnaround that is weighing on near-term Tinder revenue. Q4 revenue was $878 million, up 2% year-on-year, with adjusted EBITDA of $370 million and net income of $210 million. The board approved a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share and the company repurchased about 24.7 million shares for roughly $789 million, deploying approximately 108% of free cash flow to buybacks, dividends and equity settlements. Management forecast Q1 revenue of $850–$860 million and full-year revenue between $3.41 billion and $3.535 billion, with adjusted EBITDA guidance of $1.28–$1.325 billion and free cash flow of about $1.085–$1.135 billion. The report highlighted product improvements at Tinder and strong momentum at Hinge (direct revenue +26% in Q4), plus international expansion and safety tools such as FaceCheck and Project Aurora tests in Australia. Market reaction included a double-digit extended-session jump in the share price, elevated options activity and mixed analyst moves — JPMorgan lowered its target to $31 and Truist trimmed its target to $34. Institutional trading around the quarter included both buys and exits.

HC Wainwright & Co. reiterated a "Buy" rating and a $100 price target on Immunocore Holdings PLC (IMCR) in a research note dated Feb. 4, 2026, and published by MarketBeat on Feb. 5. Analyst Patrick Trucchio also provided a long-term FY2030 earnings forecast of $11.26 per share. The reaffirmation comes amid varied Wall Street coverage: UBS set a $55 target (Jan. 7), Wells Fargo initiated an overweight at $60 (Oct. 31, 2025), Morgan Stanley holds an equal-weight with a $36 target (Nov. 10, 2025), while Zacks and Weiss Ratings have offered divergent views. MarketBeat data shows a consensus price target near $60.40 and an average analyst view of "Moderate Buy." Immunocore, a clinical- and commercial-stage biotech with approved KIMMTRAK for metastatic uveal melanoma, reported quarterly EPS of $0.02 and revenue of $103.7 million on Nov. 6, 2025, with revenue up 29.2% year-on-year. IMCR shares opened at $31.50 on Feb. 5, with a 52‑week range of $23.15–$40.71 and institutional ownership around 84.5%. Analysts’ one-year targets span $37 to $100, underscoring wide valuation dispersion tied to pipeline and commercial execution risks.

Brinker International insiders have executed several stock sales in early February amid a stronger-than-expected quarterly report. On Feb. 3, CMO George Felix sold 10,431 shares at an average price of $161, generating about $1.68 million and trimming his holding to 8,064 shares. A day earlier, director Ramona Hood sold 400 shares at $161.32 for roughly $64,500, leaving her with 9,066 shares. Market reports also note a large CEO disposition of about 66,000 shares disclosed last week. The transactions were filed with the SEC. The insider activity comes after Brinker’s Jan. 28 quarter, in which the company posted adjusted EPS of $2.87 versus $2.53 expected and revenue of $1.45 billion, and raised FY2026 guidance. Analysts have responded with upgrades and higher price targets; consensus rating is around “Moderate Buy” with an average target near $188.56. Brinker’s market capitalization is roughly $7.1 billion and its P/E sits near 16.4. While fundamentals and analyst sentiment have improved, clustered insider sales have the potential to affect near-term investor sentiment.

Sven‑Olof Lindblad, a director and roughly 10% owner of Lindblad Expeditions Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LIND), sold about 971,998 shares across a series of trades from Jan. 20 to Feb. 3, 2026, for roughly $16.2 million, filings show. Individual recent transactions include 233,505 shares on Feb. 2 and 127,310 shares on Feb. 3; a separate filing records a Feb. 3 sale of 360,815 shares. After the disposals he remains a large shareholder, holding about 10.8–10.94 million shares (valued at roughly $188 million at current prices). The stock has traded near $17–18 and has a market capitalisation of about $996 million. Other insiders have also trimmed positions recently (CEO Benjamin Bressler sold 222,386 shares on Jan. 12). At the same time, institutional activity shows some buyers: Black Diamond Financial increased its LIND stake by 13.6% to 1,068,362 shares (1.95% of the company) in the latest quarter, while several hedge funds and asset managers adjusted positions. Analysts' consensus remains a 'moderate buy' with an average target near $19.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Executive Vice President C. Frank Bennett sold 85,089 shares of company stock on Feb. 2, 2026, at an average price of $82.93, generating approximately $7.06 million in proceeds, according to an SEC filing. After the transaction Bennett directly holds 80,293 shares, a reduction of roughly 51.45% in his reported position. The sale follows additional disposals by Bennett in January (5,885 and 8,977-share trades) and, according to GuruFocus, brings his total sales over the past year to about 154,860 shares. At the time of the trade Ionis (NASDAQ: IONS) was trading near its 12‑month high (~$86.15) and had a market capitalisation of roughly $13.77 billion. Analysts maintain a generally positive consensus — MarketBeat cites a “moderate buy” average rating and a consensus target near $86.45 — while institutional investors hold a large portion of the stock (reported at about 93.9%). The company, a U.S.-based developer of RNA-targeted therapeutics, disclosed the trade in a standard SEC filing.

A new National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) analysis warns that cutting net migration to zero would make the UK economy 3.6% smaller by 2040 and worsen public finances by about £37 billion (roughly 0.8% of GDP). Under the zero‑net scenario the working‑age population would fall by around 2.5 million and the national population would stabilise at about 70 million by 2030 versus a projection of roughly 74 million by 2040. NIESR says GDP per capita and average incomes could rise modestly (around 2%) as firms adopt more capital, but those gains would be outweighed by slower overall growth, lower tax receipts and rising borrowing unless offset by significant tax rises or spending cuts. The report cites a sharp fall in net migration — to roughly 204,000 in the year to June 2025 from highs above 900,000 in 2023 — driven by tighter visa rules. NIESR also updated its macro outlook: inflation is expected to fall below 2% in April 2026, two Bank rate cuts are forecast in 2026 (to 3.25%), and GDP growth is seen slowing to about 1.3%–1.1% through 2027–28.

A10 Networks (NYSE: ATEN) reported record fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, driven by demand for security and high-performance networking tied to AI infrastructure. Q4 revenue was $80.4 million and full-year revenue reached $290.6 million, up 11% year-over-year. Non-GAAP gross margin was about 80.8% for Q4 and 80.6% for the year; non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $19.1 million ($0.26 per share). Adjusted EBITDA for 2025 was a record $86.0 million. The company ended the year with $377.8 million in cash and marketable securities, returned $86.3 million to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, and approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share. Management said security-led revenue met its target (≈65% in Q4, 72% for the year) and highlighted wins with large cloud, analytics and airline customers. A10 set FY2026 guidance for revenue of $319.6m–$325.4m (about 10–12% growth) and EPS guidance of $0.640–$0.650, while flagging APJ weakness (notably Japan) and supply-chain/tariff risks. BTIG reiterated a Buy and Wall Street consensus price target remains near $22.

Linde plc reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results and issued upbeat full-year guidance. On Feb. 5, Linde posted non-GAAP EPS of $4.20, beating estimates by $0.02, and revenue of $8.8 billion, up 6.0% year-on-year and roughly $150 million above consensus. Operating profit was $2.0 billion (adjusted operating profit $2.6 billion) with reported and adjusted margins near 23.0% and 29.5%, respectively. The company reiterated first-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $4.20–$4.30 and raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.40–$17.90 (implying 6%–9% growth). Market indicators ahead of the release showed Linde shares crossing above their 200-day moving average on Feb. 4 and technicals appearing stretched; valuation metrics cited a P/E around 31 and institutional ownership near 83%. Linde’s 2024 revenue was about $33 billion and the firm operates across more than 100 countries with a market capitalisation near $220 billion.

NIO Inc. said on Feb. 5, 2026 it expects to post its first-ever adjusted operating profit for Q4 2025, forecasting adjusted operating profit of about RMB700 million to RMB1.2 billion (roughly $100m–$173m). Under GAAP measures the company expects operating profit of about RMB200 million to RMB700 million. The company attributed the turnaround to a 72% year‑on‑year jump in Q4 deliveries to 124,807 vehicles, a more favourable product mix that lifted vehicle margins, ongoing cost reductions and improved operational efficiency. Full-year deliveries reached 326,028 vehicles, up 47% from 2024, helped by premium models such as the ET5 and ES6 and mid‑year launches of the lower-cost Firefly. NIO cautioned the figures are preliminary and based on unaudited consolidated management accounts; final audited Q4 and FY2025 results are being prepared. NIO’s U.S.-listed shares rose in early trading on the news.

Brad Karp, the longtime chairman of elite US law firm Paul Weiss, stepped down from the leadership role on 4 February 2026 after newly released Department of Justice documents revealed a string of emails and social contacts with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The correspondence, from roughly 2015–2019, shows Karp attending dinners at Epstein’s New York residence, seeking Epstein’s help to find a film role for his son and commenting on legal filings tied to Epstein’s efforts to challenge his 2008 plea deal. Paul Weiss said Karp will remain at the firm in a client-facing capacity and named corporate partner Scott Barshay as his successor. The disclosures follow wider scrutiny of prominent figures identified in the tranche of Epstein-related records and come amid earlier criticism of firm leadership for a controversial agreement to provide tens of millions of dollars in pro bono legal work to the Trump administration to avert an executive order. The sudden leadership change has prompted questions about governance, reputational risk and client confidence at one of America’s most influential law firms.

Sainsbury’s has launched a 19‑product ‘Small but Mighty’ range of high‑protein, nutrient‑rich meals aimed at customers taking GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs and others with reduced appetites. Each meal contains fewer than 350 calories, provides at least 20g of protein, is a source of fibre and counts towards one of the recommended five‑a‑day portions of fruit and vegetables. Examples include a pesto chicken tortiglioni with 35g of protein and a beef bolognese tagliatelle with 33g. The range also covers wraps, salads, sandwiches, porridge pots, cereals, natural yoghurts and, from February, high‑protein bakery items such as tortilla wraps, flatbreads and buttermilk pancakes. Sainsbury’s said online searches for “high protein” rose 57% year‑on‑year and searches for “high protein ready meals” jumped 300%, prompting the launch. The move follows similar product rollouts by Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Greggs and Ocado, as retailers adapt to rising demand tied to GLP‑1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro; an estimated 2.5 million adults in the UK are using these injections.

On Feb. 5, 2026 the Bank of England held its bank rate at 3.75% after a narrow 5-4 vote by the Monetary Policy Committee, with four members preferring a 25 basis-point cut to 3.5%. The decision followed an unexpected rise in CPI to 3.4% in December, but the BoE revised its forecast that inflation will fall to around 2% by spring — sooner than previously expected — helped in part by fiscal measures to cut household energy bills. The Bank downgraded its GDP growth outlook to 0.9% for 2026 (from 1.2%) and now expects unemployment to peak at 5.3%. Governor Andrew Bailey said there should be scope for “further reduction in Bank Rate” if disinflation continues. Markets reacted by repricing the path of cuts (money markets now price roughly two quarter-point cuts this year) and sterling weakened. The Bank signalled a cautious, data-dependent approach as it balances falling inflation against risks from services inflation and wage growth; the next MPC meeting is on 19 March.