Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.2% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Posted by Logan Wallace on Jul 19th, 2026

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report)’s stock price shot up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday after Freedom Capital upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The company traded as high as $255.66 and last traded at $252.9290. 10,077,541 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 19% from the average session volume of 8,460,292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $249.97.

JNJ has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Johnson Rice raised Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.30.

View Our Latest Analysis on Johnson & Johnson

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates, showing solid demand and execution in its core business. J&J Stock Falls Despite Strong Q2 Beat & Higher 2026 View: Here’s Why
Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 guidance after the report, reinforcing confidence in its growth outlook and pipeline momentum. Johnson & Johnson Raises 2026 Outlook After Q2 Earnings Beat
Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $270 price target, signaling continued analyst confidence. Benzinga article on Guggenheim rating reaffirmation
Positive Sentiment: Some market commentary suggests the post-earnings pullback could be an opportunity to buy JNJ on strength after a run to 52-week highs. Why Johnson and Johnson’s Earnings Dip Looks Like a Buying Opportunity
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also digesting the full Q2 earnings call transcript and several commentary pieces framing the company’s growth beyond legacy drugs and its collaboration announcements. Full Transcript: Johnson & Johnson Q2 2026 Earnings Call
Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, the stock fell because MedTech results missed expectations, creating concern that one important division is lagging behind the company’s otherwise solid performance. J&J Stock Falls Despite Strong Q2 Beat & Higher 2026 View: Here’s Why

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Family CFO Inc acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $608.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.86% and a net margin of 21.48%.Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.11%.

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.