New York, Feb 16, 2026, 18:50 EST — The market has closed.
- AbbVie closed out Friday at $231.50, a gain of 1.76%. U.S. markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day.
- All eyes now turn to Tuesday’s reopen, where AbbVie’s dividend and the latest drug-pricing headlines are expected to draw investor focus.
- AbbVie is taking its fight over Medicare price negotiations to court, and Botox still stands out as a crucial swing factor.
AbbVie Inc closed out Friday at $231.50, gaining 1.76% before the long weekend. The stock picks up again Tuesday, following the Presidents Day break on Wall Street. (Reuters)
Washington’s Birthday lands on the NYSE’s 2026 holiday calendar, which means trading that week won’t kick off until Tuesday. That shortens the stretch for investors to get set. (New York Stock Exchange)
It’s a big deal for AbbVie, a stock long pulled in two directions: reliable cash payouts, but also the ongoing threat from D.C. on drug prices. The core worry keeps surfacing for investors—can recent launches actually fill the hole left by Humira as generics gain ground? Biosimilars, by the way, are cheaper alternatives to branded biologic medicines.
AbbVie notched a second day of gains on Friday, with shares posting heavier trading than usual and beating out a number of big pharma rivals, according to MarketWatch data. Volume came in above the recent average. (MarketWatch)
AbbVie’s legal fight landed quickly this month. The company took the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to court, Reuters said, claiming Medicare price talks shouldn’t include Botox. AbbVie also blasted the price caps as unconstitutional. (Reuters)
Late January saw Botox land on a list of 15 drugs selected by the U.S. government for Medicare price negotiations set for 2028, part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s strategy. Drugmakers have taken legal action against the initiative, arguing the process could cut into profits and force shifts in how new treatments are prioritized. (Reuters)
Earlier this month, AbbVie projected its 2026 adjusted profit would top what Wall Street was looking for, but the stock slipped after Rinvoq sales last quarter missed estimates. “Investors continue to have concerns about growing competition,” William Blair’s Matt Phipps told Reuters, highlighting Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, which is gaining ground in inflammatory disease. (Reuters)
This week, cash returns are making headlines. AbbVie’s board approved a new quarterly dividend: $1.73 a share. That one’s payable Feb. 17, for investors on record as of Jan. 16. (AbbVie News Center)
Once trading picks up again, eyes are on AbbVie to see if it can stick above that $230 mark. The real question for some: do buyers keep parking cash in big pharma each time policy headlines start flying?
Still, there’s no ignoring the downside. Should AbbVie’s challenge come up short and Botox proceeds to negotiation, what starts as policy risk could spill over into actual earnings pressure—potentially shifting how investors view the stock’s yield. Over in immunology, competitive heat persists; Rinvoq and Skyrizi continue to shoulder most of the load.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 marks both the market’s first session of the week and ABBV’s dividend payout. Traders will be watching for any new court filings or government updates on Medicare talks, as those could quickly shift sentiment around ABBV shares.
