The latest Market Talks covering the Health Care sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

0756 GMT - JD Health is expected to deliver strong 3Q revenue growth, supported by robust sales of pharmaceutical and nutrition products, Nomura analysts Rachel Guo and Jialong Shi say in a note. They estimate that 3Q revenue rose 24% on year, with pharmaceutical segment growth benefiting from the flow of prescriptions from hospitals to out-of-hospital channels and rising online sales penetration. JD Health could outpace industry growth and gain market share by leveraging its supply-chain capabilities. Growth in nutrition product sales could extend into 4Q, they add. Nomura projects 2H revenue to increase 20% despite a higher base. The bank raises its 2025-2026 revenue forecast by 2% and maintains a buy rating and HK$72.00 target price on the stock. Shares were recently at HK$61.80. (jason.chau@wsj.com)

0533 GMT - Riverstone Holdings faces an earnings hit from a weak U.S. dollar versus the Malaysian ringgit, CGS International's William Tng says in a research report. The average rate of USD/MYR was 4.2261 in 3Q, down from 4.3080 in 2Q, the analyst notes. Factoring in a still-weak dollar versus the ringgit, which affects the Singapore-listed Malaysian glove manufacturer's export-oriented business, the brokerage reduces its 2025 net profit forecast for Riverstone by 8.3%. However, CGS International reiterates the stock's add rating and the target price of S$0.91 as the brokerage's projected 2025 net profit decline for Riverstone seems priced in. Shares are 1.2% higher at S$0.83. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1249 GMT - AstraZeneca's drug-pricing deal with the White House could serve as a blueprint for other European pharma groups, Barclays analysts write. The British drugmaker became the second global pharma company after Pfizer and the first European one to announce an agreement with President Trump. It also reduced uncertainty over U.S. price cuts and will offer chronic-disease prescriptions at a discount of up to 80% off list prices, the analysts say. AstraZeneca's vulnerability to price cuts is limited given its small exposure to Medicaid, Barclays adds. Shares are down 1.1% and have risen 21% year to date. (william.gray@wsj.com)

1223 GMT - AstraZeneca's drug-price deal with President Trump is a positive development that reduces uncertainty around U.S. pricing and tariffs, UBS analysts write. The British pharma group gave important clarity in explaining that it structured the deal so that Medicaid discounts shouldn't widely extend to other parts of its portfolio, the analysts say. The company's financial risk should be limited since under 5% of AstraZeneca's U.S. sales come from Medicaid, the analysts write. Another positive is that pricing discounts should be smaller than feared since they will be based on a smaller group of developed nations, UBS adds. Shares down 1% Monday and are up 21% year to date. (william.gray@wsj.com)

1206 GMT - Novartis's earnings growth will stall in 2026 due to larger-than-expected losses from slowing sales of its Cosentyx autoimmune treatment, Intron Health analysts write. Cosentyx U.S. sales are likely to drop 17% mainly due to increased competition and lower prices and compared with consensus forecasts for a 10% rise, the analysts say. The decrease could cut Novartis's EBIT by about 5%, they add. Together with the Swiss pharma group's Entresto heart-failure drug loss of patent exclusivity, this will likely lead to flat earnings per share next year, the analysts write. Moreover, Novartis's long-term revenue growth remains weak and lags that of other major European drugmakers, the analysts add. Intron Health cuts its recommendation on Novartis's stock to hold from buy. Shares fall 0.4% Monday and are up 18% year to date. (william.gray@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 14, 2025 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.