New York, Feb 17, 2026, 13:57 ET — Regular session in progress.
Shares of AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) picked up 0.5% to reach $232.75 Tuesday afternoon, squeezing out gains while most of the health-care sector stayed flat.
This matters for investors, who are suddenly forced to rethink both U.S. rate expectations and how far Washington’s drug-pricing campaign might go. AbbVie finds itself in the thick of it—a reliable cash generator, now tangled up in policy risk headlines.
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told reporters “several more” rate cuts might still be on the table for 2026, so long as inflation shows unmistakable progress toward the 2% target. Markets aren’t looking away from any data right now. (Reuters)
Stocks eked out only modest gains. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) climbed roughly 0.3%, but the Invesco QQQ (QQQ), loaded with tech names, barely budged. Nerves lingered after last week’s tech rout, sparked by AI jitters. “It’s an indiscriminate selling in all things tech,” said Art Hogan of B Riley Wealth. (Reuters)
AbbVie bumped up its quarterly cash dividend to $1.73 per share, with payment set for Feb. 17 to holders registered by Jan. 16. Annualized, that’s $6.92—working out to about a 3% yield at the current share price. The announcement appeared on PR Newswire.
Fundamentals provide the other key support here. AbbVie put out a forecast this month, projecting 2026 adjusted diluted earnings per share in a range of $14.37 to $14.57. CEO Robert Michael, speaking to investors, said the company is looking for “another year of robust growth in 2026.” (AbbVie News Center)
Yet that Allergan legacy business means AbbVie remains tangled in the drug-pricing battle. The company filed suit against U.S. health officials, objecting to Medicare price controls on Botox—describing the policy as “confiscatory” and forecasting “ruinous” penalties if it didn’t follow the rules. Reuters noted Botox accounted for just north of 10% of AbbVie’s yearly revenue. (Reuters)
Investors have an eye on AbbVie’s transition away from Humira, now up against cheaper biosimilars, as the company leans on its newer lineup. AbbVie shares slid almost 6% after the last quarter, with Rinvoq sales disappointing and Skyrizi coming in ahead of estimates, though analysts pointed to pressure from Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya. (Reuters)
Risks cut both ways here. A stronger inflation print might push bond yields up, which could sap appetite for high-dividend drugmakers. Throw in a negative twist in the ongoing Botox dispute, and that’s yet another wildcard for the earnings outlook.
Feb. 20 brings the next release: the U.S. personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
