01:37 PM EDT, 03/26/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Health care stocks rose Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Health Care Index increasing 0.1% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) up 0.2%.

The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) added 0.3%.

In corporate news, Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) shares gained 1.6% after it said Thursday shareholders at its annual general meeting approved a total 2025 dividend of 11.70 Danish kroner per share ($1.81), including a final dividend of 7.95 Danish kroner to be paid in March.

Hims & Hers Health ( HIMS ) said Thursday a wide range of Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) Food and Drug Administration-approved glucagon-like peptide-1 medications are available to eligible customers, including the weight loss pill Wegovy. Hims & Hers shares were down 1.2%.

Kodiak Sciences ( KOD ) shares surged 72% after it said Thursday that topline data from a phase 3 trial of tarcocimab tedromer showed superiority over sham in people with diabetic retinopathy, and it met its primary endpoint with high statistical significance.