Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.6% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) were up 1.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $248.19 and last traded at $244.9320. Approximately 10,029,986 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 19% from the average session volume of 8,431,539 shares. The stock had previously closed at $241.00.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are highlighting Johnson & Johnson as a top “dividend safety” pick, reinforcing its appeal as a reliable income stock for conservative portfolios. One Stock to Own For Ultimate Dividend Safety
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson is advancing its cardiac ablation technology in Europe with the rollout of the Dual Energy THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF Platform, which supports growth in its MedTech business. Johnson & Johnson Advances Cardiac Ablation Technology in Europe with Availability of Dual Energy THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media commentary ahead of second-quarter earnings is constructive, with expectations for another single-digit earnings increase. Johnson & Johnson Earnings Preview: What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ is also drawing attention as investors rotate out of higher-risk growth names and back into stable dividend stocks, helping support demand for the shares. Why Johnson & Johnson, Altria, Verizon, and Other Safe Dividend Stocks Climbed Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional articles continue to frame Johnson & Johnson as a quality dividend aristocrat, which supports the stock’s defensive profile but does not add a new catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on oncology, rare disease, and medtech wins underscores improving fundamentals, but the market already appears to be viewing these as part of JNJ’s long-term story rather than a near-term surprise.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $244.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.04.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 1.6%

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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $230.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.94. The company has a market capitalization of $589.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.26.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a $1.34 dividend. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 61.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,502,000 after buying an additional 6,332 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% during the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $896,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 6,584 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.