Friday Fast Five - 2/13/2026
by Hodges Investment Team, on February 13, 2026
Five interesting things that Hodges Capital research analysts discovered this week...
#1 DRONE LEADERSHIP: The recent U.S. defense billrepresents one of the most consequential pivots toward autonomous and uncrewedsystems in modern military history. Key elements include:
- Record-setting autonomy investment and a broad expansion ofunmanned capabilities across domains.
- A new federal counter-drone authority, consolidating oversightand tightening airspace security.
- Stronger protections for domestic drone manufacturing, pairedwith substantially tougher restrictions on Chinese-made systems.
- Significant Pentagon acquisition reforms aimed at cuttingbureaucracy and accelerating the adoption of commercially available autonomoustechnologies.
#2 NOT YOUR FATHER’SCADILLAC: Cadillac’s F1 SuperBowl commercial stood out by using one of America’s biggest cultural stages tointroduce a brand-new Formula 1 team with a striking asymmetricalblack-and-white livery—an emblem of bold identity and unapologetic Americanroots. Rather than relying on celebrity cameos, the ad paired cinematic visualswith President John F. Kennedy’s moon landing speech, underscoring ambition,innovation, and the gravity of Cadillac’s entry into the global F1 arena. Theresult was a moment that felt both culturally significant and emotionallymemorable.
#3 GLP WON: In a win for patent protection andmajor pharmaceutical players, Hims halted its plan to sell a compounded copycatversion of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy GLP-1 weight-loss drug after intensifyinglegal pressure from federal regulators. The move reinforces the strength of IPprotections surrounding blockbuster GLP-1 therapies.
#4 DATA CENTERS ARE BULKING UP: AI and cloud giants released early2026 capital expenditure expectations that stunned analysts—coming in 32% aboveforecasts. The combined $668 billion spend is massive, representing five timesthe 2023 total. Google stands out with the most aggressive outlook, projecting100% year-over-year capex growth as it scales infrastructure to meet AI demand.
#5 FINANCING THE DATA CENTER BULK-UP: Financing conditions for large-scaleAI infrastructure are improving. IREN recently secured a major funding packagefor its AI data center expansion at rates below 6%—materially cheaper than the7.75%–8.75% range typical for high-performance computing and GPU-focusedprojects just a short time ago. The decline reflects greater institutionalcomfort with the asset class, the presence of high-quality counterparties suchas Microsoft and Google, and predictable six- to ten-year contracted revenuestreams supporting these builds.
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