Benzinga's 'Stock Whisper' Index: 5 Stocks Investors Are Keeping an Eye On Quietly
Benzinga Stock Whisper Index: The index highlights five stocks that are gaining attention from investors seeking undervalued and emerging opportunities, utilizing proprietary data and pattern recognition.
Bank of New York Mellon Corporation: The stock has seen a 40% increase year-to-date, with analysts raising price targets following strong financial results and a growing presence in the cryptocurrency sector.
Howmet Aerospace: The company returned to the index after exceeding analyst estimates for revenue and earnings, prompting several price target increases due to strong demand in commercial and defense aerospace.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and American Airlines: Alnylam faced scrutiny from a subpoena while reporting strong quarterly results, and American Airlines reported record revenue despite potential disruptions from a government shutdown, making both stocks noteworthy for investors.
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- Defense Budget Increase: Congress has passed an $839 billion defense spending bill, marking the Pentagon's first full-year appropriation since fiscal 2024, with $9.8 billion specifically allocated for the development of autonomous and unmanned systems, highlighting a commitment to modern military technology.
- AI Market Outlook: The global AI market in defense and aerospace is projected to grow from $4.2 billion in 2026 to $42.8 billion by 2036, with a compound annual growth rate of 26.4%, indicating that defense budgets are driving rapid advancements in related technologies.
- Accelerated Corporate Investment: The DoD's IT budget for fiscal 2026 reached $66 billion, an increase of $1.8 billion from 2025, with every service branch boosting its AI allocations, and the Navy's AI spending alone rising by 22.7% year-over-year, reflecting a strong demand for intelligent technologies.
- Strategic Partnership Opportunities: VisionWave Holdings' subsidiary Solar Drone held meetings in Italy with potential customers in the Middle East to discuss drone cleaning solutions, indicating the company's pursuit of new business opportunities in the rapidly growing solar market in the region.
- Defense Budget Increase: The U.S. Congress has passed an $839 billion defense spending bill, marking the Pentagon's first full-year appropriation since fiscal 2024, with $9.8 billion allocated specifically for the development of autonomous and unmanned systems, which is expected to drive investment and market growth for related companies.
- AI Market Outlook: The global AI market in defense and aerospace is projected to grow from $4.2 billion in 2026 to $42.8 billion by 2036, at a compound annual growth rate of 26.4%, indicating a rapid acceleration in demand for autonomous platforms and intelligent command systems, attracting significant institutional capital.
- Howmet's Strong Performance: Howmet Aerospace reported $2.2 billion in revenue for Q4 2025, a 15% year-over-year increase, with full-year revenue reaching a record $8.3 billion and adjusted EPS rising 40% to $3.77, reflecting robust growth in commercial and defense aerospace sectors.
- Curtiss-Wright Contract Win: Curtiss-Wright has been selected by Boeing to supply mission computers for the U.S. Air Force's C-17 Globemaster III, with an estimated contract value exceeding $400 million, enhancing the operational life of this critical military platform and reinforcing Curtiss-Wright's pivotal role in defense modernization.
- Tech Sector Retreat: U.S. stocks experienced a significant decline on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down 1.57%, the Dow Jones down 1.34%, and the Nasdaq 100 down 2.04%, primarily driven by a sell-off in the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, indicating concerns over the profitability outlook in the tech sector.
- Cisco Systems Warning: Cisco Systems saw its stock plummet over 12% after forecasting that rising memory chip prices would erode profitability, raising investor concerns about future performance and potentially diminishing market confidence.
- Weak Economic Data: Initial jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 5,000 to 227,000, below the expected 223,000, while January existing home sales dropped 8.4% month-over-month to 3.91 million, marking a 16-month low, which reflects signs of economic slowdown that could impact market sentiment.
- Positive Earnings Season: Despite the overall market downturn, over 76% of S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q4 earnings projected to grow by 8.4%, indicating strong corporate profitability that may provide support for the market.

- Strong Financial Performance: Howmet Aerospace reported Q4 2025 revenue of $2.17 billion, a 15% increase year-over-year, with full-year revenue reaching $8.15 billion, reflecting robust growth in the aerospace sector.
- EBITDA and Free Cash Flow: The fourth quarter EBITDA was $653 million, up 29%, while free cash flow reached $1.43 billion, exceeding guidance by over $100 million, demonstrating strong cash generation capabilities post capital expenditures.
- Positive Future Outlook: Management guided for Q1 2026 revenue of $2.235 billion and a full-year target of $9.1 billion with EBITDA of $2.76 billion, indicating confidence in growth prospects, particularly in commercial aerospace and defense sectors.
- Acquisition and Investment Plans: The company completed the acquisition of Brunner Inc. for $1.8 billion, expected to enhance its competitive position in the aerospace fasteners market, while planning to double gas turbine revenue over the next 3 to 5 years, showcasing significant market expansion potential.
- Tech Stock Pressure: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.52% and the Nasdaq 100 index dropped by 1.08% due to weakness in the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, indicating investor concerns that could dampen market confidence.
- Cisco Profit Warning: Cisco Systems forecasted that rising memory chip prices would erode profitability, leading to a more than 10% drop in its stock price, which may prompt investors to revise down their future performance expectations, negatively impacting overall market sentiment.
- Employment Data Impact: Initial US jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 227,000, reflecting a slightly weaker labor market, which could influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions and lower market expectations for future rate cuts.
- Chip Demand Recovery: Sandisk's stock rose over 7% following Kioxia's forecast of strong demand for NAND memory chips, indicating growth potential in the AI infrastructure sector, which may create new investment opportunities for related companies.







