New York, Feb 28, 2026, 11:34 EST — Market closed.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) shares closed Friday at $248.43, up 2.04%, after trading between $242.50 and $248.94. U.S. markets are shut for the weekend, leaving investors to carry the move into Monday’s open. 1
The late-week rise puts J&J back near its highs at a time when traders are quick to reward clean drug data — and just as quick to punish any wobble in safety, trial design or timelines. In a choppy tape, that matters. Big healthcare names can act like shock absorbers, until they don’t.
On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.43% and the Dow slipped 1.05%, but large drugmakers held up better, with AbbVie up 3.29% and Pfizer rising 2.03%. J&J’s gain fit that defensive tilt. 2
On Thursday, the company flagged early results from a Phase 1b study — an early-stage trial that looks mainly at safety and dosing — of pasritamig, an experimental immune drug, combined with chemotherapy docetaxel in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. J&J said it saw no new unexpected safety signals and reported PSA — a blood marker used to track prostate cancer — fell at least 50% in 64.7% of patients overall, with plans to move into Phase 3 trials. “Seeing encouraging clinical activity alongside a favorable safety profile” supports further work, study investigator Shahneen Sandhu said, and J&J’s Charles Drake called the data a “strong foundation” for Phase 3. 3
J&J also said it launched new stroke tools in the United States, including the CEREGLIDE 42 and 57 aspiration catheters and the INNERGLIDE 7 delivery aid. The devices are used in ischemic stroke — a stroke caused by a blocked artery — where doctors try to remove a clot and restore blood flow. Christian Cuzick, a MedTech executive at the company, said the system is meant to “simplify decisions” for physicians, while stroke specialist Ameer E. Hassan described distal clots as one of the “biggest technical challenges” in the procedure. 4
For JNJ stock, the next question is whether Thursday’s clinical readout and device launch translate into something that looks durable rather than fleeting. Monday can be blunt. Investors will look for more clarity on trial timelines and the path to bigger studies.
The risk is straightforward: early-stage cancer data often fades when trials get larger, and legal fights remain a steady source of headline risk around the company’s former consumer unit. A Texas judge this week rejected Kenvue’s bid to dismiss a state lawsuit over Tylenol labeling; Kenvue was spun out of J&J in 2023 and said it would “stand up for sound, credible science” as the case moves ahead. 5
The next scheduled checkpoint is close. Johnson & Johnson said management will present at TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Health Care Conference on March 3 at 11:10 a.m. Eastern time, with a webcast on its investor relations site. Before that, traders get the first test on Monday, March 2, when U.S. markets reopen. 6
