Nifty at 25571, sensex up 410 points

Metro India News | MUMBAI

Indian stock markets staged a notable recovery on February 20, 2026, as benchmark indices rebounded from recent losses amid broad-based buying, particularly in public sector undertaking (PSU) banks and metals. The Nifty 50 closed at 25,571.25, up 116.90 points or 0.46%, while the Sensex advanced 316.57 points or 0.38% to end at 82,814.71. Broader markets showed mixed performance, with the Nifty Midcap 100 rising about 0.48%, reflecting some respite after a volatile period. 

The advance-decline ratio remained balanced, indicating selective strength despite lingering caution. PSU banks emerged as the standout performers, leading sectoral gains with the Nifty PSU Bank index surging around 1.68% during the session and logging a strong weekly rise of over 5%. Stocks such as Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and IDBI Bank posted notable advances, contributing to the sector's outperformance. 

This came amid optimism around earnings recovery in state-owned lenders, which have been beating expectations compared to private peers. In contrast, IT and media sectors faced pressure and ended as the top losers.A major corporate development driving market attention was Novartis AG's decision to sell its entire 70.68% stake in Novartis India to a ChrysCapital-led consortium, including WaveRise Investments and others, for approximately Rs 1,446 crore (around $159 million). 

The deal values the company at over Rs 2,000 crore, with ChrysCapital also announcing an open offer to acquire an additional 26% stake at Rs 865 per share. Shares of Novartis India hit the 20% upper circuit, surging significantly on the news, as the Swiss parent exits its listed Indian commercial arm while retaining other footprints in the country. ABB India shares jumped around 8-9% after reporting solid Q4 CY2025 results. 

The company posted record order inflows, with Q4 orders rising 52% year-on-year to Rs 4,096 crore—the highest fourth-quarter intake in five years—and full-year orders reaching a record Rs 14,115 crore, up 8%. Management highlighted strong growth momentum in the data center segment, expecting continued CAGr expansion, and affirmed efforts to sustain current margin levels despite some cost impacts. This robust order book and positive outlook fueled investor enthusiasm.

Other notable movers included PB Fintech (Policybazaar's parent), whose shares gained around 3% following a rating upgrade by Kotak Institutional Equities from "Reduce" to "Add," with a target price of Rs 1,725. Analysts cited improved risk-reward after recent underperformance, expecting strong premium growth in term and health insurance to offset potential regulatory concerns on commissions. Brokerage notes also supported gains in companies like Lenskart and Devyani International.

In midcap space, stocks such as Devyani International rose sharply on a $40 million order win, while Persistent Systems faced pressure due to peer weakness in IT. Other gainers included Brainbees (FirstCry), Carenow Heat (possibly Carerated or similar), GE Power, BLB, and Centum Electronics amid healthy volumes and momentum. Adding to the day's highlights, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, praising India's rapid progress in AI, from data centers to models and applications, calling it unmatched in total energy. 

He discussed ongoing compute buildouts with partners like Nvidia, the exciting shift toward more agentic AI with open-weight models, and provided updates on potential future developments like GPT-6 and an eventual OpenAI IPO, though without specific timelines.Overall, the session reflected a tactical bounce driven by value buying in select sectors, though volatility remained elevated ahead of monthly expiry, with key Nifty levels to watch including support near 25,400 and resistance around 25,800.