Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $253.0435.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $220.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $230.37 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $149.04 and a 52-week high of $251.71. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.19. The company has a market capitalization of $554.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.27.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued 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. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.12%.

More Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: J&J’s DePuy Synthes unit announced an exclusive distribution agreement for the NOVOSIS bone graft substitute in the U.S., Canada and Australia, expanding its orthopedic portfolio and supporting MedTech growth. DePuy Synthes secures exclusive NOVOSIS bone graft distribution partnership (JNJ)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish articles highlighted J&J as a large-cap pharma stock to own as the industry shows signs of recovery, reinforcing investor confidence in its diversified pharma and MedTech mix. 4 Large-Cap Pharma Stocks to Buy as Industry Recovery Accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage also pointed to J&J’s strong dividend profile and “Dividend King” status, with the company’s long record of dividend growth supporting its appeal to income investors. Why Johnson & Johnson Might Be the Smartest Dividend King to Buy in Today’s Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary noted healthcare stocks were a drag on the broader market, which can weigh on J&J even when company-specific news is constructive. Dow Gives Back Early Gains. Healthcare Stocks Are a Drag.
• Negative Sentiment: Fresh talc-litigation headlines remain a key overhang, including a Minnesota jury’s $10.2 million mesothelioma verdict tied to asbestos-contaminated cosmetic talc products. Assessing Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Valuation After Guidance Raise Growth Initiatives And Talc Litigation Update
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns about potential drug-pricing pressure under President Trump could also limit pharma profit expectations, adding policy risk for J&J’s drug business. President Trump’s Drug Pricing Policies Could Hurt Drugmakers’ Profits. Time to Sell Pharma Stocks?

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,704,364,000 after buying an additional 1,663,782 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,436,633,000 after buying an additional 69,108,368 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,967,947,000 after buying an additional 1,738,292 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $6,924,523,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.