Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $265.35 and traded as high as $272.36. Johnson & Johnson shares last traded at $266.3750, with a volume of 5,775,719 shares traded.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Promising prostate-cancer data: Experimental drug JNJ-6143 produced tumor-response rates of roughly 69% to 75% in heavily pretreated patients with advanced prostate cancer. The results support further development of the first-in-class RIPTAC drug, although the evidence remains early-stage. What Do Johnson & Johnson Cancer Trial Wins Mean For Its Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: RYBREVANT expansion potential: A subcutaneous RYBREVANT FASPRO combination generated a 77% overall response rate in first-line treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. The findings support the ongoing Phase 3 OrigAMI-5 trial and could broaden the commercial opportunity for a key oncology franchise. RYBREVANT FASPRO Head and Neck Cancer Results
• Positive Sentiment: ERLEADA showed a meaningful benefit: Johnson & Johnson said using ERLEADA before and after surgery reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 62% versus surgery alone in high-risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer, potentially supporting broader adoption. ERLEADA Surgical Study Results
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF activity showed net selling of JNJ, but this is generally a short-term trading signal rather than a change in the company’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: An expected orthopedics merger with Smith & Nephew collapsed over leadership disagreements, removing a potential strategic opportunity. The strong cancer data also comes with clinical and regulatory risks because several programs remain in relatively early development.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Erste Group Bank cut Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Johnson Rice downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $294.00 to $292.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.92.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $265.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $245.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $641.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.21.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.21%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $4,090,926.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,367,458. This represents a 48.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total value of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. This represents a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 64,515 shares of company stock valued at $17,271,766. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Outlook Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Matrix Trust Co grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 56.2% during the 2nd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Polaris Financial Partners bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth approximately $63,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Founded in 1886, the company develops and markets products and services for patients, healthcare professionals and institutions worldwide.

Johnson & Johnson operates through two principal segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Innovative Medicine focuses on pharmaceuticals for areas such as immunology, oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and cardiovascular conditions.