Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on JNJ. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $254.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $282.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $258.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.48.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE JNJ opened at $254.54 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $613.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.24. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $166.64 and a 52 week high of $274.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $246.25 and a 200-day moving average of $238.80.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total value of $5,792,778.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,779,963.81. This represents a 50.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Greenberg Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $954,000. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 161,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,390,000 after purchasing an additional 26,450 shares during the period. Benchmark Financial LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $554,000. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,853,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,410,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $705,736,000 after buying an additional 28,370 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson received FDA authorization for OTTAVA, its robotic-assisted surgical system, and is preparing for market introduction. Management discussed the system’s design, potential operating-room benefits and commercialization plans, creating a potential new growth platform beyond JNJ’s established pharmaceutical and medical-device businesses. Johnson & Johnson Discusses FDA Authorization and Market Introduction of OTTAVA Robotic Surgical System
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer characterized OTTAVA’s FDA milestone as a catalyst that improved sentiment toward JNJ after investors initially underappreciated the company’s strong earnings report. The assessment is opinion-based, but it reflects increased visibility for the robotics opportunity. Jim Cramer Analyzes Johnson & Johnson After Surgical Robotics Milestone
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson’s oncology business delivered strong second-quarter growth, supported by Darzalex, Erleada and newer cancer treatments. Continued oncology momentum could help offset mature-product pressure and support long-term earnings growth. J&J’s Strong Q2 Oncology Performance Fuels Future Growth Hopes
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its JNJ price target from $272 to $282 and maintained an “overweight” rating, signaling confidence in the company’s earnings outlook and growth initiatives. Wells Fargo Price Target Update
• Positive Sentiment: Reports also highlighted a roughly $3.5 billion biotech transaction or strategic move that expands JNJ’s oncology pipeline, potentially strengthening its future pharmaceutical portfolio. Johnson & Johnson Oncology Pipeline Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage continues to present JNJ as a defensive, dividend-oriented value stock, particularly as technology shares weaken and healthcare attracts broader value-ETF inflows. This may support demand but is not a company-specific catalyst. The S&P 493 Are Staging a Comeback
• Negative Sentiment: OTTAVA must compete with robotic-surgery systems that entered the market earlier, so FDA authorization does not guarantee rapid adoption or meaningful near-term revenue. Investors may also view JNJ’s valuation as demanding after its strong run.

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.