NIFTY In February 2026 – -0.56%
In February 2026, the Nifty 50 index had a negative return of -0.56%. This marks the third consecutive month of losses. The decline was largely driven by weakness in the Information Technology sector, which saw a steep 18.87% drop, led by losses in Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro, while Utilities provided some support, led by NTPC Ltd. The market breadth was positive with 30 stocks advancing versus 20 declining.
Chart: Monthly Return Chart
Source: NSE
How was the market breadth? 30 advanced, while 20 declined:
In Feb-2026, the market breadth was positive with 30 stocks advancing and 20 stocks declining. In comparison to the last month, this is better than January’s 19 advances versus 31 declines.
Table: Advances and Declines history
| Month | Advances | Declines | Advance/Decline Ratio |
| Feb-2026 | 30 | 20 | 1.5 |
| Jan-2026 | 19 | 31 | 0.61 |
| Dec-2025 | 28 | 22 | 1.27 |
| Nov-2025 | 29 | 21 | 1.38 |
| Oct-2025 | 39 | 10 | 3.9 |
| Sep-2025 | 25 | 24 | 1.04 |
| Aug-2025 | 19 | 30 | 0.63 |
| Jul-2025 | 15 | 34 | 0.44 |
| Jun-2025 | 37 | 11 | 3.36 |
| May-2025 | 34 | 15 | 2.27 |
| Apr-2025 | 33 | 16 | 2.06 |
| Mar-2025 | 41 | 8 | 5.12 |
Source: NSE
Chart: Trends In ADR Ratio
Source: NSE
Utilities perform the best while Information Technology performs the worst:
Utilities was the best-performing sector in the latest month with a weighted return of 8.09%. This was driven by strong performances from stocks like NTPC Ltd. On the other hand, the worst-performing sector was Information Technology, which saw a sharp decline of 18.87%. Key contributors to this downturn included Tech Mahindra Ltd, Infosys Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, and Wipro Ltd.
Table: Performance Across Sectors
| Sector | Number Of Stocks | % Change (w. avg) | % Change (avg) |
| Utilities | 1 | 8.09 | 8.09 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 7.45 | 7.17 |
| Services | 1 | 7.13 | 7.13 |
| Commodities | 6 | 2.61 | 2.74 |
| Consumer Discretionary | 10 | 1.45 | 2.98 |
| Financial Services | 12 | 0.52 | 2.82 |
| Energy | 3 | 0.37 | 1.78 |
| Industrials | 1 | -0.96 | -0.96 |
| Fast-moving Consumer Goods | 2 | -0.97 | -0.42 |
| Telecommunication | 1 | -4.41 | -4.41 |
| Information Technology | 5 | -18.87 | -18.37 |
Source: NSE
Chart: Sector Performance Heatmap Over the Past Year
Source: NSE
Top performers over a 1 Year Horizon:
Over the past year, the top performers were led by Bharat Electronics Ltd, State Bank of India, and Shriram Finance Ltd with returns of 82.01%, 77.71%, and 76.71%, respectively. These stocks were primarily from the Industrials and Financial Services sectors.
Table: Top-15
| Stock | Sector | % Change (1Y) |
| Bharat Electronics Ltd | Industrials | 82.01 |
| State Bank of India | Financial Services | 77.71 |
| Shriram Finance Ltd | Financial Services | 76.71 |
| Eicher Motors Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 69.98 |
| Hero MotoCorp Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 60.53 |
| Tata Steel Ltd | Commodities | 58.61 |
| Hindalco Industries Ltd | Commodities | 46.84 |
| Adani Ports Special Economic Zone Ltd | Services | 42.92 |
| SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd | Financial Services | 42.68 |
| Titan Company Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 41.05 |
| Axis Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 36.39 |
| JSW Steel Ltd | Commodities | 33.39 |
| Mahindra Mahindra Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 32.48 |
| Oil Natural Gas Corpn Ltd | Energy | 30.89 |
Source: NSE
Bottom performers over a 1 Year Horizon:
Over the past year, the bottom performers included Wipro Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, and Infosys Ltd with returns of -24.5%, -21.67%, and -20.93%, respectively. These stocks were primarily from the Information Technology sector.
Table: Bottom-15
| Stock | Sector | % Change (1Y) |
| Wipro Ltd | Information Technology | -24.5 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Ltd | Information Technology | -21.67 |
| Infosys Ltd | Information Technology | -20.93 |
| Trent Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | -19.34 |
| HCL Technologies Ltd | Information Technology | -9.29 |
| Tech Mahindra Ltd | Information Technology | -6.1 |
| Cipla Ltd | Healthcare | -3.38 |
| IndusInd Bank Ltd | Financial Services | -3.37 |
| HDFC Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 3.98 |
| Bajaj Finserv Ltd | Financial Services | 6.64 |
| Adani Enterprises Ltd | Commodities | 7.91 |
| Hindustan Unilever Ltd | Fast-moving Consumer Goods | 8.72 |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 9.7 |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd | Healthcare | 10.09 |
Source: NSE
Stocks Near 52 Week Highs:
As of the end of last month, nearly 20 stocks were within 5% of their 52-week highs, and a total of 31 stocks were within 10% of their 52-week highs, with Oil & Natural Gas Corpn Ltd, Titan Company Ltd, and NTPC Ltd being the closest.
Table: Stocks within 10% of 52 Week High
| Stock | Sector | Last Close | 52 Week High | vs 52 Week High (%) |
| Oil Natural Gas Corpn Ltd | Energy | 279.7 | 280.1 | -0.14 |
| Titan Company Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 4327.5 | 4342.6 | -0.35 |
| NTPC Ltd | Utilities | 381.9 | 384.9 | -0.78 |
| Tata Steel Ltd | Commodities | 212.59 | 215.15 | -1.19 |
| JSW Steel Ltd | Commodities | 1264.7 | 1280.6 | -1.24 |
| Axis Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 1383.9 | 1403.0 | -1.36 |
| Bajaj Auto Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 9955.5 | 10119.5 | -1.62 |
| Bharat Electronics Ltd | Industrials | 444.7 | 453.0 | -1.83 |
| State Bank of India | Financial Services | 1201.7 | 1227.8 | -2.13 |
| Eicher Motors Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 8010.5 | 8190.0 | -2.19 |
| Shriram Finance Ltd | Financial Services | 1079.4 | 1104.6 | -2.28 |
| Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd | Healthcare | 7821.5 | 8012.0 | -2.38 |
| Adani Ports Special Economic Zone Ltd | Services | 1521.0 | 1570.2 | -3.13 |
| UltraTech Cement Ltd | Commodities | 12650.0 | 13068.0 | -3.2 |
| SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd | Financial Services | 2037.2 | 2109.6 | -3.43 |
| Coal India Ltd | Energy | 430.65 | 449.8038 | -4.26 |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd | Healthcare | 1737.0 | 1823.7233 | -4.76 |
| Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd | Healthcare | 1286.3 | 1354.4074 | -5.03 |
| Grasim Industries Ltd | Commodities | 2799.8 | 2958.7 | -5.37 |
| Tata Consumer Products Ltd | Fast-moving Consumer Goods | 1141.0 | 1212.6 | -5.9 |
| ICICI Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 1378.9 | 1477.2018 | -6.65 |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 416.05 | 452.4788 | -8.05 |
| Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 382.65 | 417.0 | -8.24 |
| Hero MotoCorp Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 5710.0 | 6229.0861 | -8.33 |
| Bajaj Finserv Ltd | Financial Services | 1993.4 | 2176.6 | -8.42 |
| IndusInd Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 956.75 | 1046.7 | -8.59 |
| Bajaj Finance Ltd | Financial Services | 996.75 | 1091.15 | -8.65 |
| Hindalco Industries Ltd | Commodities | 924.7 | 1024.05 | -9.7 |
Source: NSE
Chart: Distribution of stocks vs their 52-week highs
Source: NSE
Stocks Near 52 Week Lows:
As of the end of last month, nearly 31 stocks were more than 20% away from their 52-week lows. Only 6 stocks were within 5% of their 52-week lows, with Wipro Ltd, Infosys Ltd, and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd being the closest.
Table: Stocks within 10% of 52 Week Low
| Stock | Sector | Last Close | 52 Week Low | vs 52 Week Low |
| Wipro Ltd | Information Technology | 200.96 | 200.14 | 0.41 |
| Infosys Ltd | Information Technology | 1300.1 | 1280.2 | 1.55 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Ltd | Information Technology | 2637.4 | 2573.7 | 2.48 |
| Cipla Ltd | Healthcare | 1348.2 | 1311.6 | 2.79 |
| HCL Technologies Ltd | Information Technology | 1382.0 | 1331.4344 | 3.8 |
| Trent Ltd | Consumer Discretionary | 3899.5 | 3711.9 | 5.05 |
| HDFC Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 887.45 | 827.2961 | 7.27 |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd | Financial Services | 416.05 | 379.2531 | 9.7 |
| Tech Mahindra Ltd | Information Technology | 1357.8 | 1236.9606 | 9.77 |
Source: NSE
Chart: Distribution of stocks vs their 52 week Low
Source: NSE
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