Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 2.8% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) were up 2.8% during trading on Wednesday after Johnson Rice upgraded the stock from a hold rating to an outperform rating. The company traded as high as $230.80 and last traded at $230.4290. Approximately 7,251,923 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 8,401,928 shares. The stock had previously closed at $224.26.

JNJ has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total transaction of $5,527,477.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at $6,540,469.77. This trade represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,598,700.17. The trade was a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson to Outperform and raised its price target to $265, citing stronger growth prospects from new drug launches and expanding oncology and immunology franchises. Johnson & Johnson upgraded at Leerink on growth prospects
• Positive Sentiment: J&J is getting credit for pipeline progress, including positive Phase 3 TREMFYA data in Crohn’s disease and continued momentum in immunology, which supports confidence in post-Stelara growth. Tremfya, Icotyde Lead J&J’s Post-Stelara Immunology Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: The company also highlighted new product launches in cardiology, including the global rollout of its Shockwave C2 Aero coronary IVL catheter, adding another growth avenue. Johnson & Johnson Advances the Standard of Calcium Modification with Global Launch of Shockwave™ C2 Aero Coronary IVL Catheter
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J’s appearance in articles about its AAA credit rating and defensive profile may reinforce its safe-haven reputation, but these stories are unlikely to be major near-term stock catalysts. The 2 US Companies With a Better Credit Rating Than Uncle Sam Belong in Every Retirement Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage discussing J&J’s dividend safety and low-risk profile supports the investment case, but is more of a long-term investor theme than a fresh price driver. Russell 1000 Dividend ETF Hits 125 as Johnson & Johnson Leads The Safety Test

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Family CFO Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $236.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.21. 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 stock has a market cap of $554.69 billion, a PE ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.27.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 61.97%.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.