Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 2.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price rose 2.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $228.67 and last traded at $228.3240. Approximately 7,214,450 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 8,343,622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $223.24.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson reported strong Phase 2 results for nipocalimab in systemic lupus erythematosus, including sustained improvement through 52 weeks, which boosts confidence in a potential future growth drug. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Additional Phase 2 data for nipocalimab in Sjögren’s disease showed higher response rates in patients with elevated autoantibodies and IgG levels, supporting the program’s commercial potential. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Newsweek named Johnson & Johnson one of the World’s Greenest Companies 2026, which can modestly support the stock’s ESG profile and investor sentiment. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank reiterated its Buy rating on J&J, which is supportive but not a major fresh catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles highlighted J&J as a popular dividend and defensive stock, but these were mostly informational pieces rather than new business developments. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: No major negative company-specific headlines stood out in the latest batch; the stock’s move appears driven more by positive pipeline momentum than by any fresh downside news.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.04.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 2.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $549.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $232.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.69.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.97%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sierra Capital LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Sierra Capital LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,685,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Broadleaf Partners LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Broadleaf Partners LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,521,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,288,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

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.