Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 1.6% – Here’s Why

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded up 1.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $281.07 and last traded at $275.6320. Approximately 7,837,434 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 8,176,787 shares. The stock had previously closed at $271.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $285.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $272.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.83.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.3%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.85. The company has a market capitalization of $671.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.29, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 62.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Taubert sold 15,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total value of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. This trade represents a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 63,972 shares of company stock valued at $16,245,605. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Outlook Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 55.0% in the second quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.