Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.1% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose 1.1% during trading on Wednesday after Guggenheim raised their price target on the stock from $240.00 to $244.00. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the stock. Johnson & Johnson traded as high as $241.33 and last traded at $241.0130. Approximately 8,765,959 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average daily volume of 8,722,298 shares. The stock had previously closed at $238.41.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $201.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $237.57.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total transaction of $324,762.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,251,310.02. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple major analysts raised ratings or targets — Citi boosted its price target to $285 (maintained Buy), signaling material upside vs. recent levels. Citigroup adjusts price target on Johnson & Johnson to $285
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen is covering JNJ with a Buy and $250 price target (shows analyst conviction from another boutique shop). Johnson & Johnson: Diversified Growth, Robust Pipeline, and Attractive Risk‑Reward Support Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s argued J&J is a buy ahead of earnings, noting the narrative has shifted from last year’s struggles — this helps sentiment into the Q1 print. Buy Johnson & Johnson Ahead of Earnings. The Stock’s Run-Up Isn’t Over.
• Positive Sentiment: Product/regulatory progress: J&J launched the Varipulse Pro pulsed-field ablation system in Europe (CE mark), which may help electrophysiology device growth. J&J advances PFA portfolio with Varipulse Pro launch in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Therapeutics wins: J&J secured a permanent U.S. reimbursement code for INLEXZO (bladder cancer), reported supportive longer‑term psoriasis data for oral ICOTYDE, and struck a Japan distribution deal for SIRTURO — all reduce commercialization risk for specialty drugs. Johnson & Johnson Updates Key Specialty Therapies And Undervaluation Signals For Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage/visibility: J&J appears on several roundup lists (analyst research calls, low‑volatility blue‑chip lists, and technical “buy zone” commentary), which can attract different investor groups but may have mixed near‑term impact. Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls Here is Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Ranks Among the 15 Best Low Volatility Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Now Dow Jones Medical Giant Johnson & Johnson Eyes Latest Buy Point

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,740,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,704,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,663,782 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,436,633,000 after purchasing an additional 69,108,368 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,967,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,738,292 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $6,924,523,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $580.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.34. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $240.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $214.17.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.04%. Sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current year.

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.