NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025, 3:33 PM ET — Market closed
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) stock is heading into the final trading days of 2025 with U.S. markets closed for the weekend and year-end liquidity typically thinning across Wall Street. JNJ last closed at $207.63 on Friday, down 0.07% on the day, and was last indicated around $207.86 in after-hours trading, according to widely followed market data. [1]
For investors, the key question before Monday’s open is whether the latest company-specific headline—a discontinued mid-stage eczema (atopic dermatitis) trial—changes the near-term narrative for a stock that has been trading in a relatively tight range near its 52-week highs, while also balancing recurring litigation risk and a steady cadence of product approvals. [2]
Where Johnson & Johnson stock stands heading into the next session
With the U.S. stock market closed Saturday and Sunday, JNJ investors are effectively looking ahead to Monday’s regular session (9:30 a.m. ET open), when any weekend developments can be repriced immediately in premarket trading and at the opening bell.
As of the latest available pricing:
- Last close (Friday): $207.63
- Day’s range (Friday): $206.71 to $208.04
- After-hours (Friday): $207.86
- 52-week range: $140.68 to $215.19 [3]
JNJ’s market capitalization is listed around $500 billion, and the stock’s dividend yield is displayed around 2.5% on major data platforms—part of why it remains a staple in many defensive, income-oriented portfolios, especially into year-end. [4]
The main company headline in the last 24–48 hours: J&J halts a mid-stage eczema drug trial
The most significant JNJ-specific headline over the past two days: the company discontinued a Phase 2b (mid-stage) study of JNJ-5939 for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, after an interim analysis showed the program did not meet efficacy goals. Reuters reported the study was stopped for failing to clear what J&J described as a “high-bar” for efficacy, while noting the drug was well-tolerated. [5]
Johnson & Johnson echoed that framing in a public statement, saying the interim analysis met pre-specified criteria for early termination because the results did not meet the company’s efficacy threshold for advancing development, while reiterating its broader commitment to the disease area. [6]
Why the market cares: In large-cap pharma, mid-stage pipeline readouts can matter most when (1) they threaten a company’s next wave of growth drivers, or (2) they reinforce competitive pressure in a high-value category. The atopic dermatitis landscape is already crowded with major branded therapies and multiple mechanisms, which Reuters highlighted in its coverage. [7]
What JNJ emphasized: Reuters also noted the company pointed to other atopic dermatitis programs in development, including bispecific antibodies and an oral STAT6 inhibitor. [8]
Recent pipeline positives investors are still digesting
While the eczema trial halt is the newest headline, it lands against a backdrop of notable regulatory and commercial wins earlier in December—developments that can continue to influence medium-term sentiment around Innovative Medicine.
FDA approval: Rybrevant Faspro (subcutaneous amivantamab formulation)
On December 17, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj (Rybrevant Faspro) for subcutaneous injection across all indications already approved for the IV formulation, according to the FDA’s published approval notice. [9]
In Johnson & Johnson’s own release, the company positioned the approval as reducing administration time from “hours to minutes” and cited lower administration-related reactions compared with IV delivery. [10]
The same announcement included commentary from external healthcare leaders and clinical investigators. Joelle Fathi, D.N.P., Chief Healthcare Delivery Officer at GO2 for Lung Cancer, said the option can make care “faster” and “less invasive,” while Danny Nguyen, M.D., a City of Hope clinical professor and study investigator, described the approval as enabling a “patient-centered” subcutaneous therapy option. [11]
European Commission approval: Tremfya pediatric plaque psoriasis indication
On December 22, 2025, J&J announced the European Commission extended marketing authorization for Tremfya (guselkumab) to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in children and adolescents from age 6 who are candidates for systemic therapy—described by the company as the first pediatric indication for an IL‑23 inhibitor. [12]
In that release, Marieke Seyger, an associate professor at Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen and a study investigator, highlighted an ongoing “gap” in pediatric treatment options and framed the approval as expanding physicians’ choices for younger patients. [13]
Investor takeaway: These kinds of approvals can matter for long-cycle pharma names because they can (a) broaden addressable populations, (b) defend a franchise against competitive encroachment, and (c) diversify growth sources—especially when older blockbusters face exclusivity pressures.
Litigation remains a headline risk: record talc verdict and planned appeal
Beyond the pipeline, Johnson & Johnson’s talc-related litigation overhang remains a key factor many investors track—especially into year-end when risk management often tightens.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported a Baltimore jury ordered J&J and subsidiaries to pay more than $1.5 billion to a plaintiff alleging talc-based products caused a form of cancer, describing it as a record single-plaintiff award against the company. J&J said it would appeal, with the company calling the verdict “egregious” and “patently unconstitutional,” according to a statement quoted in Reuters from Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice president of litigation. [14]
The Reuters report also included comments from the plaintiff’s counsel, Jessica Dean of Dean Omar Branham Shirley, underscoring how emotionally charged and legally complex these cases can be—an important reminder that litigation outcomes can inject volatility even into defensive mega-caps. [15]
The broader market backdrop: quiet post-holiday trade, “Santa Claus rally” watch
JNJ’s next trading session also opens against a specific market setup: a thin, post-holiday tape with major indexes near highs.
Reuters described Friday’s session as light-volume and nearly unchanged, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all slipping slightly. In that report, strategist Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, said the market was “catching our breath” after a strong run and noted the “Santa Claus rally” period still had time to play out. [16]
For JNJ, which many investors view as a lower-beta, dividend-heavy healthcare bellwether, this environment can cut both ways:
- In risk-on rallies, “steady” names may lag higher-beta growth.
- In choppy periods, their defensiveness and dividends can attract rotation flows.
Either way, the “market regime” matters—especially in the final three trading days of a calendar year, when positioning, tax strategies, and reduced participation can amplify moves. [17]
Wall Street forecasts and analyst expectations: what consensus implies for JNJ stock
Forecasts for JNJ vary by source and methodology, but the broad picture is that analysts generally see limited near-term upside after the stock’s strong run—while still viewing the company as a relatively resilient large-cap healthcare holding.
MarketBeat’s consensus snapshot shows:
- Consensus rating: “Moderate Buy”
- Average 12-month price target:$210.25
- High / low targets:$240 / $153
- Based on 27 analyst ratings over the last 12 months [18]
Separately, Reuters reporting from October captured management’s messaging on the company’s forward outlook and strategic direction. J&J said it expected total revenue growth to exceed 5% in 2026, and Reuters also reported that J&J outlined expectations for faster growth driven by new drug launches and a strengthened devices portfolio. [19]
That same Reuters coverage highlighted the planned orthopedics separation (DePuy Synthes), including debate among market observers. Reuters reported that Guggenheim analysts cautioned the stock’s rally could limit further upside, while Brian Mulberry, a portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, raised concerns about the strategic impact of spinning off a business that had been a meaningful revenue contributor. [20]
What investors should know before the next session
Because the market is closed now, the practical investor checklist shifts from “intraday moves” to “what could reprice Monday morning.”
1) Watch for follow-through on the eczema trial halt
The Reuters report and J&J’s statement are now public and broadly disseminated. Monday’s reaction—if any—often depends on whether analysts frame the discontinuation as:
- a marginal pipeline cleanup (limited earnings impact), or
- a signal of tougher R&D productivity in that therapeutic area. [21]
2) Keep an eye on litigation headlines
Talc litigation can generate sudden moves on news of verdicts, appeals, or settlement efforts. The recent $1.5 billion verdict and J&J’s stated plan to appeal keep the topic active. [22]
3) Remember the holiday trading schedule as liquidity tightens
In the final week of 2025, traders still have a full trading day on Wednesday, Dec. 31, but markets are closed on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 for New Year’s Day, and bond trading ends early at 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, according to Investopedia’s schedule summary. [23]
4) Mark the next major catalyst: Q4 2025 earnings call (Jan. 21, 2026)
Johnson & Johnson’s investor relations calendar lists its Fourth Quarter 2025 earnings call and webcast for Jan. 21, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET—a date that can increasingly shape positioning as it gets closer. [24]
Bottom line for JNJ stock right now
With markets closed for the weekend, Johnson & Johnson stock is entering the next session near $208, balancing a fresh pipeline setback in atopic dermatitis against a broader set of recent franchise-building approvals and expansions. [25]
In the near term, Monday’s trading may be more about year-end market mechanics and low-liquidity price action than about one clinical program decision. But for long-term holders, the coming weeks will likely refocus attention on three durable themes: (1) pipeline execution after high-profile approvals, (2) litigation exposure management, and (3) how J&J’s strategic reshaping supports its 2026 growth targets. [26]
References
1. www.investing.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. www.investing.com, 4. www.investing.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.jnj.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. www.fda.gov, 10. www.jnj.com, 11. www.jnj.com, 12. www.jnj.com, 13. www.jnj.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.reuters.com, 20. www.reuters.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.investopedia.com, 24. www.investor.jnj.com, 25. www.investing.com, 26. www.reuters.com
