Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Analysts

Key Points

• Wall Street maintains a moderately bullish view: Twenty-six brokerages give Johnson & Johnson a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with 17 buys, eight holds and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $275.92.
• J&J exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.59 in EPS versus the $2.53 consensus and $25.40 billion in revenue, up 5.9% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance of $11.05–$11.15 in EPS.
• Investors will receive a quarterly dividend of $1.34 per share, equivalent to a 2.0% annualized yield, while recent news highlights opportunities in psoriasis treatment and MedTech alongside concerns about valuation, execution risks and insider selling.

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $275.92.

A number of brokerages have commented on JNJ. Freedom Capital raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, July 16th. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $278.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $264.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $184.66 and a 52-week high of $281.07. The company has a market cap of $635.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.02, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.21. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $265.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $250.21.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced 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 analyst estimates of $25.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.21%.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,994 shares in the company, valued at $4,367,458. This trade represents a 48.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 194,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,210,615.36. This represents a 7.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 64,515 shares of company stock worth $17,271,766. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Silver Coast Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% in the second quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 1,066 shares of the company's stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV now owns 6,418 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,630,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 2,531 shares of the company's stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Kwmg LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the company's stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 10,618 shares of the company's stock worth $2,705,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The United Kingdom approved J&J’s oral psoriasis treatment, expanding the company’s commercial opportunity in a major market and strengthening its immunology pipeline. UK approves J&J's oral psoriasis pill
• Positive Sentiment: J&J reported first real-world data for its VARIPULSE Pro platform and 12-month outcomes for the OMNYPULSE platform in atrial-fibrillation treatment. The results could support adoption of its MedTech portfolio and help offset weakness in other device businesses. J&J reports VARIPULSE Pro and OMNYPULSE data
• Positive Sentiment: J&J has benefited from investor rotation into defensive healthcare and consumer-staples companies amid broader large-cap weakness, reinforcing demand for its relatively stable earnings and dividend profile. Defensive stocks attract buyers
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J’s implied fair value was raised from $270.59 to $279.41 per share, but analyst views remain divided. Supporters cite earnings resilience and the drug pipeline, while others point to valuation, MedTech execution risk and possible dilution from recent deals. J&J fair value adjustment
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed combination involving J&J’s orthopedics business and Smith & Nephew reportedly collapsed over a leadership dispute. The development removes potential strategic benefits and may raise questions about execution, although Smith & Nephew declined to comment. Orthopedics merger reportedly collapsed
• Negative Sentiment: J&J reclaimed its 50-day moving average, but falling earnings estimates, a premium valuation and weakness in MedTech are limiting the bullish technical signal. Erste Group also downgraded the shares to “Hold,” adding to near-term investor caution. J&J stock outlook and valuation concerns

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.

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