Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading 1.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price traded up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $281.07 and last traded at $275.6320. Approximately 7,837,434 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 8,176,787 shares. The stock had previously closed at $271.19.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS initiated coverage of JNJ with a “Buy” rating and a $320 price target, implying approximately 16% upside from the referenced price. The target reflects increased confidence in Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical pipeline and future growth prospects. J&J Jumps as UBS Lifts Its Target to $320
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson benefited from a stronger healthcare sector, with the NYSE Healthcare Index advancing during Wednesday afternoon trading. Sector-wide buying likely provided additional support for defensive healthcare names. Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Advance Wednesday Afternoon
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results remain supportive: Johnson & Johnson exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue rising 6.6% year over year. Management’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $11.60 to $11.75 also remains broadly aligned with analyst expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson will hold its third-quarter results conference call on October 13. The event gives investors a forthcoming opportunity to assess demand, pipeline progress, guidance and the impact of patent expirations. Johnson & Johnson to Host Investor Conference Call on Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag multiple headwinds, including declining Stelara sales and additional upcoming loss-of-exclusivity events, weakness in the MedTech business and ongoing talc litigation. These risks could limit growth and pressure margins. J&J Faces Multiple Headwinds: Can the Healthcare Giant Sustain Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analysis notes that Johnson & Johnson replaced substantial lost sales with newer products but retained less than half of the replacement revenue, raising questions about the profitability and durability of its growth transition. Johnson & Johnson Replaced $913 Million In Lost Sales With $2.4 Billion In New Ones

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $285.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Raymond James Financial set a $280.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $284.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.83.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $664.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $260.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $244.39.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The company had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.11%.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $4,090,926.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,367,458. The trade was a 48.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 63,972 shares of company stock worth $16,245,605 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Blueline Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Outlook Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 55.0% in the second quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 203 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

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.