Benzinga's 'Stock Whisper' Index: 5 Stocks Investors Secretly Monitor But Don't Talk About Yet

Each week, Benzinga's Stock Whisper Index uses a combination of proprietary data and pattern recognition to showcase five stocks that are just under the surface and deserve attention.

Investors are constantly on the hunt for undervalued, under-followed and emerging stocks. With countless methods available to retail traders, the challenge often lies in sifting through the abundance of information to uncover new opportunities and understand why certain stocks should be of interest.

Here’s a look at the Benzinga Stock Whisper Index for the week ending Jan. 10:

M&T Bank MTB: The regional bank saw strong interest from Benzinga readers during the week, which comes ahead of the company's fourth-quarter financial results. Analysts expect the company to report earnings per share of $3.73, up from $2.81 in last year's fourth quarter and to report revenue of $2.34 billion, up from $2.30 billion in last year's fourth quarter. The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue and earnings per share in seven of the last 10 quarters for each. Analysts have spoken positively of regional banks recently with Truist initiating the stock with a Buy rating and $233 price target. Barclays maintained an Equal-weight rating and raised the price target from $228 to $235. Truist said regional banks have differentiated growth, disciplined capital allocation and can navigate to the evolving landscape.

The Benzinga Pro chart below shows the five-day trading range of MTB with shares down on the week. The stock remains up over 35% over the last year.

DraftKings Inc DKNG: The sports betting and online gaming company saw increased interest from readers during the week, which comes as the NFL Playoffs are set to kick off on Jan. 11. The NFL remains one of the most bet on sports worldwide and a major source of revenue for DraftKings. Peer company Flutter recently lowered guidance for the full fiscal year due to unfavorable NFL outcomes, something DraftKings had already done and commented on. DraftKings could be getting more attention as the company got ahead of the guidance and NFL warnings earlier than peers and shares could now look attractive. DraftKings shares were up around 10% over the last five days and the stock is up around 18% over the last year.

TJX Companies TJX: The discount retailer, which owns the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods brands, saw increased interest during the week. The retailer was recently highlighted by Benzinga as a potential winner from Super Saturday, the shopping holiday that is the last Saturday before Christmas. A Placer.ai report said foot traffic at retailers on Super Saturday was up an average of 58% compared to daily averages in 2024. T.J. Maxx foot traffic was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis for Super Saturday according to the report. In recent weeks, the retailer has received several price target increases from analysts, including Wells Fargo, UBS and Bernstein at $120, $151 and $145 respectively. The stock is up around 28% over the last year.

Insmed Inc INSM: The biopharmaceutical company saw increased interest after sharing a business update at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, including 2025 guidance. The company said ARIKAYCE, its first commercial product, is expected to have full year revenue of $363.7 million globally, including $254.8 million in the United States. Guidance for ARIKAYCE for 2025 was set at a range of $405 million to $425 million. Insmed also shared an update on its other pipeline drugs with an NDA submitted in December 2024 for Brensocatib, expected to launch in the third quarter of 2025. The company also announced several other pipeline updates, which may have investors taking a new look at the stock. Insmed previously appeared on the Stock Whisper Index back in November after reporting third-quarter financial results and receiving several analyst updates. Shares fell during the week, but are up over 130% over the last year.

Trane Technologies TT: The commercial and residential HVAC company appears on the list after seeing a boost in interest from readers. The company announced it will report fourth-quarter financial results on Jan. 30. Analysts expect the company to report earnings per share of $2.52, up from $2.17 in last year's fourth quarter and to report revenue of $4.77 billion, up from $4.43 billion in last year's fourth quarter. The company has beaten earnings estimates in more than 10 straight quarters and beaten revenue estimates in nine of the last 10 quarters, including three straight quarters. Trane Technologies recently announced the closing of its acquisition of BrainBox AI, which it announced in December 2024. Brain Box AI is a pioneer in autonomous HVAC controls and generative AI building technology, according to the announcement. While HVAC might not be a sector that jumps out as an AI use case, the company's acquisition could be the reason why readers are paying more attention to Trane Technologies. Analysts were mixed in recent weeks with Wells Fargo lowering the price target, RBC raising the price target and Barclays maintaining a Buy rating and $500 price target.