New York, Feb 28, 2026, 11:34 EST — The market is shut for the day.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) finished Friday’s session at $248.43, notching a 2.04% gain. The stock moved in a range from $242.50 to $248.94 before the bell rang. With U.S. markets closed over the weekend, that momentum gets parked until Monday. 1
J&J’s late-week jump has the stock edging back toward its highs, at a moment when markets seem to swing hard on clean drug data — and just as harshly on any safety stumble, trial snag, or timeline slip. In these uneven sessions, that can count for a lot. The big healthcare players usually help steady things, but that’s not guaranteed.
The S&P 500 dropped 0.43% on Friday, while the Dow lost 1.05%. Big pharma names fared better: AbbVie added 3.29%, Pfizer climbed 2.03%. J&J joined the defensive move higher. 2
On Thursday, the company highlighted initial findings from its Phase 1b trial of pasritamig, an experimental immune therapy, paired with the chemotherapy docetaxel in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. According to J&J, there were no unexpected safety issues, and PSA levels — a key blood marker for tracking prostate cancer — dropped by at least half in 64.7% of patients. With that, the company is gearing up for Phase 3 trials. Study investigator Shahneen Sandhu pointed to “encouraging clinical activity alongside a favorable safety profile” as reasons to proceed, while J&J’s Charles Drake said these results lay a “strong foundation” for the next phase. 3
J&J rolled out a trio of new stroke devices in the U.S. market: the CEREGLIDE 42 and 57 aspiration catheters, along with the INNERGLIDE 7 delivery aid. All three target ischemic stroke—the type triggered by a blocked artery—where physicians work to extract clots and get blood moving again. According to MedTech executive Christian Cuzick, the system is designed to “simplify decisions” for doctors. Stroke specialist Ameer E. Hassan, meanwhile, called distal clots one of the “biggest technical challenges” in these procedures. 4
The focus for JNJ stock now shifts to seeing if Thursday’s clinical update and device debut have legs or just a short run. Monday could bring a reality check. Investors want details on when trials actually move forward and how the company plans to approach larger studies.
Here’s the issue: early-stage cancer results can lose their punch once trials scale up, and litigation still shadows the company’s old consumer business. Just this week, a Texas judge tossed out Kenvue’s attempt to drop a state suit over Tylenol warning labels; Kenvue—spun off from J&J in 2023—responded it will “stand up for sound, credible science” as the legal process grinds on. 5
The next checkpoint’s coming up fast. Johnson & Johnson plans to have management speaking at TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Health Care Conference, set for March 3 at 11:10 a.m. Eastern, and will stream the event on its investor relations website. But traders face their first hurdle earlier—Monday, March 2, as U.S. markets reopen. 6
