NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 14:38 ET — Regular session
- Johnson & Johnson shares rose slightly after it said it completed its $3.05 billion cash acquisition of Halda Therapeutics
- Company expects about $0.20 in adjusted EPS dilution split between Q4 2025 and 2026
- Investors now look to the Jan. 21 earnings call for 2026 guidance and integration updates
Johnson & Johnson shares were up about 0.3% at $208.28 in afternoon trading on Monday after the healthcare conglomerate said it had completed its $3.05 billion cash acquisition of Halda Therapeutics.
The close matters because it brings Johnson & Johnson a clinical-stage oncology platform and assets as investors press large drugmakers to keep replenishing their pipelines ahead of patent expirations and pricing pressure.
It also puts the focus back on execution: the deal is expected to dent near-term profit metrics, and Johnson & Johnson has flagged its next earnings call as the venue for fresh guidance.
Halda’s Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimera, or RiPTAC, is designed to selectively kill cancer cells by linking a cancer marker to a protein essential for cell survival, while sparing healthy cells. The acquisition was first announced in November, when RBC Capital Markets analyst Shagun Singh described it as a strategic fit and a potential mid- to long-term catalyst for Johnson & Johnson’s oncology franchise.
“Now that we have finalized this acquisition, we will focus on advancing the potential of this promising pipeline,” said John C. Reed, executive vice president of Innovative Medicine R&D at Johnson & Johnson.
Johnson & Johnson said the deal adds HLD-0915, a once-daily oral therapy in development for prostate cancer, alongside earlier-stage candidates for breast, lung and other tumor types.
The company also said it sees the technology as a way to generate additional targeted, oral therapies beyond oncology over time, though it cautioned that development and regulatory outcomes remain uncertain.
Financially, Johnson & Johnson said it will account for the transaction as a business combination and expects dilution in fourth-quarter 2025 and 2026 earnings. It forecast total dilution to adjusted earnings per share of about $0.20, split roughly evenly between 2025 and 2026, driven by non-recurring charges tied to employee equity awards, financing and integration costs.
Adjusted EPS is a profit-per-share measure companies use to strip out certain items they say are not part of ongoing operations, such as one-time integration expenses.
The stock move came as Wall Street drifted lower to start the final week of 2025, with big technology shares retreating from last week’s gains and trading volumes expected to stay light in the holiday-affected week.
Investors will next watch Johnson & Johnson’s fourth-quarter results and full-year 2026 outlook on Jan. 21, while the broader market tracks Federal Reserve meeting minutes and weekly jobless claims in an otherwise data-light stretch into year-end.
Johnson & Johnson traded between $207.31 and $209.46 on Monday, after opening at $208.00.
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