Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give J&J a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from 27 firms (18 buy, 9 hold) with an average 12‑month target of $252.48.
• Johnson & Johnson beat Q1 expectations with $2.70 EPS (vs. $2.68) and $24.06B revenue (vs. $23.60B), raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $11.45–11.65, and analysts expect FY EPS of about $11.57.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 (annualized $5.36), yielding ~2.4% with a payout ratio around 60%, while insiders have recently sold shares totaling about $7.36M over the past three months.

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $252.4783.

JNJ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Loop Capital set a $220.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $227.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $547.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.27. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $238.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.50. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $146.12 and a fifty-two week high of $251.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm's revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 60.12%.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and retail-finance outlets renewed focus on JNJ’s dividend durability and income appeal, reinforcing the stock’s attraction for income investors; that supports long-term demand. Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a Top Dividend Stock for Your Portfolio Zacks: Why JNJ is a Top Dividend Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical pipeline update: J&J highlighted sustained efficacy in its Vivacity‑MG3 trial (IMAAVY/nipocalimab) — positive for long‑term growth potential in neuromuscular therapeutics if regulatory progress continues. JNJ Highlights Sustained Efficacy in Vivacity-MG3 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate governance/IR: J&J named Ryan Koors VP of Investor Relations — a stabilizing move ahead of upcoming investor outreach that can help messaging around guidance and capital allocation. Johnson & Johnson Appoints Ryan Koors as Vice President, Investor Relations
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector news: AbbVie is being highlighted for durable growth into the mid‑2030s — reflects positive sentiment toward large pharma but also underscores competition for investor capital within healthcare. AbbVie Expected to Post Durable Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Related personnel moves: Halozyme’s executive hiring notes include ex‑J&J connections — a reminder of talent flows inside the sector but with limited direct impact on JNJ’s fundamentals. Halozyme Appoints New Chief Financial Officer
• Negative Sentiment: Market rotation toward AI/growth and strong tech engagement (e.g., Microsoft Copilot adoption) can pull capital away from defensive/dividend names like JNJ, contributing to near‑term selling pressure. Microsoft says it has over 20M paid Copilot users

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total value of $324,762.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family CFO Inc bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

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.

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