Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on JNJ. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $201.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $174.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Friday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.18.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $220.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $530.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $141.50 and a 12 month high of $222.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $208.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $189.16.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.46. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.34% and a net margin of 28.46%.The company had revenue of $24.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.04 EPS. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.430-11.630 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Brighton Jones LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 6,332 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake 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 buying an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 14.8% in the second quarter. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,236,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat, stronger guidance and rising free cash flow: JNJ beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations, raised FY outlook and guided to materially higher 2026 free cash flow (~$21B), which underpins analyst upgrades and ETF buying interest. ETFs to Buy Post JNJ’s Q4 Earnings Surprise & Bullish Cash Flow View
• Positive Sentiment: Large Scotiabank upgrade: Scotiabank moved to “sector outperform” and raised its target sharply (to $265), signaling confidence in J&J’s growth runway and boosting investor appetite. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Gets a Buy from Scotiabank
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple price target raises from analysts: Leerink (+$201→$232) and Sanford C. Bernstein (+$208→$225) (and others including Stifel, BofA) have nudged targets higher, reflecting the quarter and helping push sentiment positive. Leerink Raises Price Target Bernstein Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/trend signals: MarketBeat highlights a trend‑following buy signal after a post‑earnings pullback — technical confirmation can attract momentum and institutional flows. Trend‑Following Buy Signal
• Positive Sentiment: MedTech strength and product pipeline: MedTech sales growth, product launches and the OTTAVA robotic submission provide a potential high‑growth stream beyond staples like Stelara. MedTech Growth & Product Launches
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation checks: Coverage pieces are assessing JNJ’s valuation after the rally — some see limited near‑term upside from current levels, which could temper aggressive buying. Valuation After Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Talc litigation risk: A Special Master allowed plaintiffs’ expert testimony in the talc MDL, keeping litigation risk visible and a potential earnings/cash‑flow overhang. Talc Litigation Update

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.