New York, Jan 7, 2026, 18:35 EST — After-hours
- AbbVie stock slid in extended trading after the company denied takeover-talk reports
- A fresh SEC filing flagged a fourth-quarter deal-related charge that trims 2025 profit guidance
- Investors now look to Feb. 4 results for 2026 outlook and pipeline spending cues
AbbVie (ABBV.N) shares were down about 1% at $231.11 in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the drugmaker denied a Wall Street Journal report that it was in advanced talks to buy cancer-drug developer Revolution Medicines (RVMD.O), saying it “is not in discussions with Revolution Medicines.” The stock had closed up 4.2% at $233.42, while Revolution shares slid 11.5% late after jumping nearly 30% earlier, with the report pointing to a valuation around $20 billion. AbbVie has spent more than $20 billion on acquisitions since 2023 as its former blockbuster Humira lost patent protection. Reuters+1
The denial landed as investors digested a new SEC filing that flagged an expected $1.3 billion pre-tax hit tied to acquired in-process research and development and milestone expenses in the fourth quarter — a line item that can show up when drugmakers buy or license assets still in development. AbbVie said it does not forecast that expense because the timing of such transactions is uncertain, a reminder that deal-making can jolt near-term profit measures without warning.
Including the charge, AbbVie now expects full-year 2025 adjusted earnings per share — a profit measure that strips out some items — of $9.90 to $9.94, down from its prior range of $10.61 to $10.65. The company pegged fourth-quarter adjusted earnings at $2.61 to $2.65 a share, versus $3.32 to $3.36 previously.
In the regular session, AbbVie’s 4.24% gain came on a down day for the broader market, with the S&P 500 off 0.34%. Trading volume climbed to about 9.8 million shares, well above its recent average, according to MarketWatch data.
UBS assumed coverage of AbbVie with a neutral rating and raised its price target to $240 from $220, pointing to competition that could start to emerge for AbbVie’s immunology blockbusters Skyrizi and Rinvoq in 2026-27. The bank also said AbbVie was no longer obviously cheap after the stock’s rerating over the past year.
Separately, AbbVie said Health Canada approved its hepatitis C drug Maviret for acute and chronic infection, calling it an eight-week, pan-genotypic option in Canada. Rami Fayed, vice president and general manager of AbbVie Canada, said the approval “addresses an unmet need” for patients with acute hepatitis C. BioSpace
But Wednesday’s swing is a neat picture of the risk around big pharma right now: deal talk can evaporate in a line, and deal-linked charges can hit earnings before any new drug generates sales. If growth in newer drugs cools, investors may start to treat “one-time” items as a recurring feature.
AbbVie said it will announce full-year and fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 4, before the market opens, and hold a webcast call at 8 a.m. Central time. The next read-through for investors will be 2026 profit guidance, plus any color on pipeline spending and how the company expects to use its balance sheet.
Management is also scheduled to appear at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Jan. 14 in a fireside chat. After a day of takeover chatter and pushback, investors will listen for anything that sharpens AbbVie’s deal posture and priorities.
For now, the next hard catalyst for AbbVie stock is whether Feb. 4 brings a clean outlook that can absorb the fourth-quarter charge — and whether deal questions stay in the background or come back loud.
