Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 3.9% – Here’s What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s stock price rose 3.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $277.35 and last traded at $276.6240. Approximately 9,541,987 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 20% from the average daily volume of 7,951,446 shares. The stock had previously closed at $266.17.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted accelerated approval to RYBREVANT FASPRO as a single-agent treatment for certain adults with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer after prior platinum chemotherapy and immunotherapy. J&J says the treatment is the first new option in this setting in a decade; trial data showed a 42% response rate. The approval extends the drug’s use beyond lung cancer and could broaden its commercial opportunity, though the indication is limited and accelerated approval may require confirmatory evidence. FDA approval announcement
• Positive Sentiment: J&J’s Innovative Medicine division grew third-quarter sales 7.7% to $16.76 billion, with established blockbusters and new launches more than offsetting generic competition. Continued growth despite patent-related headwinds supports the business outlook. Innovative Medicine sales report
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J was included in an article highlighting companies with a history of dividend increases and strong balance sheets. This reinforces its income-investor appeal, but the article does not identify a new company-specific dividend announcement. Dividend raisers article
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced it is investigating potential claims on behalf of J&J investors. The notice does not provide details of the claims, but the investigation could add legal and reputational uncertainty. Investor investigation announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Evercore set a $300.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Argus set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $287.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.92.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company’s 50-day moving average is $265.91 and its 200 day moving average is $248.30. The company has a market cap of $664.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.22.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $25.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.38 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 31.64% and a net margin of 16.20%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.80 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. Research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 33,597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.74, for a total transaction of $9,230,439.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,991,308.78. This represents a 56.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. The trade was a 7.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Outlook Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Matrix Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 56.2% during the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 60.4% during the third quarter. Navigoe LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a global healthcare company that develops and sells prescription medicines and medical technologies. Its business is organized around two segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech.

Innovative Medicine develops treatments in areas including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and pulmonary hypertension. MedTech provides products and technologies for fields such as surgery, orthopedics, and vision care.

Founded in 1886, Johnson & Johnson serves patients and healthcare professionals in markets around the world.