Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Up 1.5% – Here’s Why

by · The Markets Daily

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $228.57 and last traded at $227.8640. 8,959,104 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 5% from the average session volume of 9,387,904 shares. The stock had previously closed at $224.44.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

  • Positive Sentiment: CHMP (European regulator) issued a positive opinion for AKEEGA (niraparib + abiraterone) for BRCA1/2-mutant metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer — regulatory progress supports a new oncology revenue stream and raises upside to J&J’s pharma growth outlook. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Capital Markets raised its JNJ price target to $237 and kept an Outperform rating, signaling buy-side confidence in near-term upside. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley upgraded J&J citing a stronger growth outlook; that upgrade (and related coverage noting fresh annual highs) helped lift sentiment earlier in the session. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its target to $265 after J&J’s solid quarterly results and reiterated Outperform — another signals of analyst bullishness post-Q4. Read More.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street coverage is broadly positive but measured — several outlets summarized consensus analyst targets and noted JNJ’s strong 12‑month performance; analysts remain cautiously optimistic rather than uniformly exuberant. Read More.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options volume was reported, indicating elevated trader interest and potential short‑term volatility; this is activity-driven rather than a directional fundamental change. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: A U.S. judge dismissed a fraud lawsuit over J&J’s talc bankruptcy strategy, removing one near-term legal overhang — a favorable court outcome for liability risk. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: Analysts and legal commentators warn the talc saga isn’t fully settled — a Seeking Alpha piece cautions that dismissal of a fraud claim doesn’t end broader talc litigation, keeping potential legal risk on the radar. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: reports show the CEO sold roughly $22M in shares after Q4 results — raises governance/perception questions for some investors despite company explanations. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $197.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.91.

Read Our Latest Research Report on JNJ

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $547.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50-day moving average of $210.72 and a 200-day moving average of $191.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46. The business had revenue of $24.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.14 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.34%. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.04 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.430-11.630 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% during the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family CFO Inc acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

(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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