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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from “Buy” to “Hold,” although broader analyst sentiment remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $266.39.
• JNJ exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.90 in adjusted EPS and $25.31 billion in revenue; revenue increased 6.6% year over year, and management guided to 2026 EPS of $11.60–$11.75.
• Shares opened at $256.51, near their 52-week high, while growth initiatives in oncology and immunology support the pipeline; however, insider selling and a proposed $5.5 billion talc settlement remain potential concerns.

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

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on JNJ. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $254.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $258.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.39.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $256.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $245.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.31. The stock has a market cap of $618.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.24. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $164.23 and a one year high of $274.90.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The company's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total value of $5,792,778.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,779,963.81. The trade was a 50.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock worth $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 4,876 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company's stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company's stock worth $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 6,584 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain moderately bullish: JNJ’s median analyst price target is about $263, with several targets above that level, including Citigroup’s $298 target. Argus Research also issued a Buy rating, while Erste Group raised its 2026 EPS forecast to $11.68, close to the $11.69 consensus. Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish on Johnson & Johnson Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology and immunology expansion strengthens the growth pipeline: J&J completed its $1 billion acquisition of Firefly Bio, adding a degrader antibody-conjugate platform targeting difficult solid tumors, including KRAS-driven cancers. Johnson & Johnson Completes Acquisition of Firefly Bio
• Positive Sentiment: Promising regulatory and shareholder-return news: The FDA granted Priority Review to subcutaneous RYBREVANT FASPRO for advanced head and neck cancer, potentially expanding a key oncology franchise. JNJ also increased its dividend for the 64th consecutive year and is pursuing a long-term $100 billion revenue goal. RYBREVANT FASPRO Receives FDA Priority Review
• Neutral Sentiment: In-vivo CAR-T investment adds potential but carries execution risk: JNJ will make up to $785 million in initial payments to Sail Biomedicines and has an option to acquire it for $2.58 billion. The technology could create new autoimmune and oncology treatments, but commercialization is still uncertain. J&J Ventures Further Into In Vivo CAR-T
• Negative Sentiment: The $5.5 billion talc settlement weighs on sentiment: The proposed agreement would resolve roughly 76,000 ovarian-cancer claims, subject to 95% claimant participation. Although it could reduce litigation uncertainty, investors are focused on the substantial cash obligation, including up to $3 billion in 2027, and execution risk. Johnson & Johnson to Pay $5.5 Billion to Resolve Talc Litigation

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.