Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 1.1% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose 1.1% during trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $253.55 and last traded at $249.70. Approximately 10,921,483 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 29% from the average daily volume of 8,446,838 shares. The stock had previously closed at $247.02.

The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.97%.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson beat Q2 estimates, reporting EPS of $2.90 on revenue of $25.31 billion, with strength in key drugs like Darzalex, Tremfya, and Spravato helping drive results. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 guidance, signaling confidence in continued growth from Innovative Medicine and its pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: J&J also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.34 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a defensive income stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remained mixed-to-positive, with Stifel keeping a Hold rating and a $260 price target as strong pharma growth was balanced against uneven MedTech performance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The shares fell after the report because investors seemed to expect an even bigger beat; the pullback was also tied to lingering concerns about weaker MedTech results and litigation risk. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $263.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. HSBC set a $290.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Daiwa Securities Group upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ballast Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.0% in the second quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 25,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,088 shares in the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 4.1% in the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 8.5% in the second quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 38,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,828,000 after purchasing an additional 3,045 shares during the period. Finally, Adirondack Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth $281,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.1%

The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $238.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.20. The company has a market cap of $601.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.24.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.