Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Hits New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Johnson & Johnson shares hit a new 52-week high, with the stock rising about 3.1% and trading as high as $269.43. The move comes amid strong buying momentum and bullish sentiment ahead of earnings.
• Wall Street remains constructive on JNJ, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the stock maintaining a Moderate Buy consensus. Institutional buying and expectations for another solid quarter are helping support the rally.
• The company reported strong Q1 results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share. Investors are now watching the upcoming July 15 earnings release for further guidance on growth.

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $269.43 and last traded at $267.3470, with a volume of 9074553 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $259.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are buying JNJ ahead of earnings, helped by a higher company outlook, a recent analyst price-target increase, and expectations for another solid quarter. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Could Be 34% Below Fair Value Following IMAAVY Update
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary says JNJ’s recent record run reflects rising price targets and strong institutional buying, reinforcing the bullish view on the stock. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Stock Surges Past Record High as Wall Street Raises Price Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect J&J to report higher second-quarter earnings, which is helping sentiment into the July 15 earnings release. Johnson & Johnson Likely To Report Higher Q2 Earnings; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles continue to frame Johnson & Johnson as a defensive healthcare name with dependable dividend income, which may support holding interest but is not a direct catalyst. Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Negative Sentiment: One market note highlighted unusual put option activity after JNJ’s runup, suggesting some traders are positioning for a pullback or near-term volatility. Unusual Put Option Activity in Johnson & Johnson After JNJ Stock's Recent Runup

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Johnson & Johnson from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Bank of America upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. TD Cowen started coverage on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $257.13.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 3.1%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.13. The company has a market capitalization of $643.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.24. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.97%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,740,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,074 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,704,364,000 after buying an additional 1,663,782 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,436,633,000 after acquiring an additional 69,108,368 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,738,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $6,924,523,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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