Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 4% Following Analyst Upgrade

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJGet Free Report) shares shot up 4% on Friday after Guggenheim raised their price target on the stock from $266.00 to $270.00. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the stock. Johnson & Johnson traded as high as $255.11 and last traded at $254.6420. 16,200,679 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 91% from the average daily volume of 8,502,297 shares. The stock had previously closed at $244.88.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on JNJ. Barclays lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings cut Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.70.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on JNJ

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson to $270 from $266 and reiterated a Buy rating, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment after recent strength in the shares. Benzinga reference
  • Positive Sentiment: The company said new data from its IMAAVY (nipocalimab-aahu) program support sustained disease control in generalized myasthenia gravis, adding to optimism around its immunology pipeline and future growth prospects. PR Newswire reference
  • Positive Sentiment: European regulators also issued a CHMP recommendation advancing TECVAYLI plus daratumumab as a potential standard of care in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, which could help support J&J’s oncology franchise. Article reference
  • Positive Sentiment: Broader market commentary also points to healthcare stocks like Johnson & Johnson becoming a haven for investors rotating out of tech, which is helping lift sentiment across the sector. MarketWatch reference
  • Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles also highlighted J&J as a “best stock for beginners” and a dependable dividend name, but those are more general reputation pieces than immediate stock-moving catalysts. Article reference
  • Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are still looking for only single-digit earnings growth ahead of the next quarterly report, so while expectations remain solid, the near-term upside may depend on continued pipeline and product execution. Article reference

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Family CFO Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 4.0%

The stock has a market cap of $612.98 billion, a PE ratio of 29.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a 50 day moving average of $230.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.25.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 61.97%.

About Johnson & Johnson

(Get Free Report)

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.

The company’s pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.

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