Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Higher Late Afternoon

03:50 PM EDT, 09/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Healthcare stocks rose late Friday afternoon with the NYSE Healthcare Index increasing 0.3% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) adding 0.5%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) advanced 0.3%. In corporate news, ADARx Pharmaceuticals (ADRX) shares gained 12% in their Nasdaq debut after an initial public offering that raised $446.3 million. Humana (HUM) shares rose 5% after Barclays upgraded the stock to overweight from equal weight and boosted its price target to $515 from $407. AstraZeneca (AZN) shares added 1.3% after the company said the US Food and Drug Administration granted priority review to its application for an Imfinzi combination therapy to treat muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) said it won $90 million in damages after a jury found that Eli Lilly (LLY) breached the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing under an agreement related to the development and commercialization of rezpegaldesleukin. Nektar shares fell 2.6%, and Lilly rose 0.3%.