NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 17:25 ET — Market closed
- Bristol-Myers shares last closed down 0.9% at $53.46; the healthcare sector ETF rose about 0.5%.
- The drugmaker said it will present at J.P. Morgan’s 44th Annual Healthcare Conference on Jan. 12.
- A U.S. government agreement makes Eliquis available for free to Medicaid starting Jan. 1; the next $0.63 dividend is due Feb. 2.
Bristol-Myers Squibb shares ended down 0.9% at $53.46 on Friday, after the company confirmed it will present at J.P. Morgan’s annual healthcare conference on Jan. 12.
The San Francisco conference is the sector’s first major investor gathering of the year, often setting the tone for how traders price pipelines, deal appetite and 2026 outlooks.
For Bristol-Myers, the timing is sensitive. Investors are balancing a just-passed dividend cutoff with a Feb. 5 earnings report and a Medicaid pricing change for Eliquis that took effect on Jan. 1.
The company said its conference presentation and “fireside chat” — an onstage interview — will start at 10:30 a.m. ET, with a webcast available through its investor relations site.
On Friday, the stock traded between $52.94 and $53.87, with about 8.8 million shares changing hands. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust rose about 0.2%, while the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund gained about 0.5%.
Friday was the ex-dividend date for Bristol-Myers’ quarterly payout — meaning buyers that day will not receive the next dividend. Bristol-Myers has declared a dividend of $0.63 a share payable Feb. 2 to shareholders of record on Jan. 2, the company said.
At Friday’s close, the annualized payout of $2.52 implies a forward yield of about 4.7%, a level closely watched by income-focused healthcare investors.
Drug pricing remained in focus after Bristol-Myers said it reached an agreement with the U.S. government to provide its blood thinner Eliquis for free to the Medicaid program starting Jan. 1. The company said it will also donate more than seven tons of Eliquis active pharmaceutical ingredient to a U.S. strategic reserve.
“We are taking direct action to improve the lives of millions of Americans,” Chief Executive Christopher Boerner said. Bristol-Myers said the agreement provides three years of tariff relief, while the specific terms remain confidential. Business Wire
Eliquis is promoted by the Bristol Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance, the company said. Pfizer shares rose 1.1% on Friday.
Bristol-Myers is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 5 and plans to host a conference call at 8 a.m. ET, a company statement said. Investors will listen for detail on 2026 expectations and any financial read-through from the Eliquis agreement.
Before the next session, investors will track Treasury yields and Fed signals after Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson said further rate cuts “could take a while” if inflation stays sticky.
The week ahead also brings the ISM manufacturing survey on Monday, the U.S. employment report on Jan. 9 and the December consumer price index on Jan. 13, while the Fed’s next policy meeting is Jan. 27-28.
Bristol-Myers shares are about 16% below their 52-week high of $63.33 and about 26% above the $42.52 low. Traders will watch whether the stock holds above Friday’s $52.94 intraday low as the JPMorgan conference and Feb. 5 results approach.
