Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Key Points

• Johnson & Johnson has been downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" to a "hold" rating amidst mixed analyst responses to the stock's performance.
• Despite the downgrade, several other analysts remain optimistic, with UBS Group raising its target price from $180.00 to $190.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating.
• The company's recent earnings reported a profit of $2.77 per share, exceeding estimates and reflecting a 5.8% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.29.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $178.20 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $168.57 and its 200-day moving average is $160.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $429.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $140.68 and a 12-month high of $181.16.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $23.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.85 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 25.00% and a return on equity of 32.49%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.800-10.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 178,013 shares in the company, valued at $31,652,491.53. This represents a 24.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Lantz Financial LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Apexium Financial LP lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 23,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,978,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 74,132 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 205,580.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,487,000 after acquiring an additional 10,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 73,350 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,164,000 after acquiring an additional 4,816 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.

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