Day: February 23, 2026

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has voiced warnings about possible U.S. and allied casualties, depleted air defenses, and strain on military forces, according to current and former officials cited by WSJ. Other Pentagon leaders have expressed similar concerns, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
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The warnings have been communicated within the Defense Department and during National Security Council meetings, officials said.
Military planners are studying options ranging from limited initial strikes to a multi-day aerial campaign targeting the Iranian regime. While all options present risks, a prolonged campaign could result in substantial costs to U.S. forces and munitions stockpiles, officials told WSJ. Such operations could complicate efforts to protect regional partners if Iran retaliates.
Officials noted that extensive use of air-defense munitions and other limited-supply items could affect preparations for a potential future conflict with China.
The concerns raised by Caine, viewed as a trusted aide by Trump, and other military leaders will factor into the president’s decision on whether to attack Iran and the scope of any military action, officials said. Trump has not yet made a decision, according to officials.

The post Pentagon Warns Trump Of Risks In Extended Iran Military Campaign – WSJ appeared first on azeritimes.com.

Evercore lifted its price target to $153 from $130 while maintaining an Outperform rating. The firm pointed to Walmart Digital’s 27% growth reaching approximately $100 billion in the U.S. and $150 billion globally as evidence the company’s 6% earnings per share growth guidance may be conservative, News.az reports, citing Telegraph.
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The analyst noted that faster growth in higher-margin segments including advertising, membership fees, and digital operations with double-digit variable margins should position Walmart to grow even as other retailers face challenges. Fourth-quarter results showed accelerating traffic of 2.6%, U.S. comparable sales of 4.6% with over 500 basis points from e-commerce, and 10 basis points of global operating income margin expansion.
Evercore highlighted Walmart Plus membership, currently in approximately 20 million households, as comparable to Amazon Prime in 2014. The firm raised its base case to $135 from $130, citing favorable business mix including 30% growth of a $6.4 billion global advertising business and double-digit growth in marketplace fulfillment income to $4.3 billion from Walmart Plus.
The firm adjusted its earnings per share estimates down 1% to $3.00 and $3.35 respectively to account for liability claims, reduced other income, and grocery price investments. Evercore removed its Underperform tactical allocation position issued on February 17 after the stock declined 7% while the S&P 500 rose 1%.

Barclays maintained its Overweight rating and raised its price target to $132 from $125. The firm noted strong unit share gains driven by aggressive price investments, acceleration in e-commerce penetration including WMT Connect growth, and strong underlying flow-through masked by tariffs that will anniversary in coming months.

Barclays said guidance came in at $2.96 as expected but sees potential for earnings per share of $3.15 or higher throughout the year while still signaling management is targeting stronger flow-through.

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Trading in PayPal shares was briefly halted due to volatility, News.az reports, citing CNN.
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According to Bloomberg News, citing people familiar with the matter, the San Jose, California-based company has held meetings with banks amid unsolicited interest from suitors. At least one large rival is examining a potential acquisition of the entire company, while other interested parties are focused on specific PayPal assets, the people said.
The sources cautioned that buyer interest remains at a preliminary stage and may not result in a transaction. A PayPal representative declined to comment on the report.
The sharp stock movement reflects market reaction to the potential takeover scenario, which comes after a significant decline in PayPal’s share price over the past year. The stock has declined approximately 46% over the past 12 months, bringing the company’s market value to around $38.4 billion.

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