Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Rating Increased to Buy at Guggenheim

Key Points

• Johnson & Johnson was upgraded by Guggenheim from a "neutral" to a "buy" rating, with a new price target of $206.00, reflecting an anticipated 18.24% upside from its current price.
• Other analysts, including Wall Street Zen, Barclays, and UBS Group, have also raised their ratings and price targets for JNJ, indicating a positive outlook for the stock.
• Despite the upgrades, shares of Johnson & Johnson were down 1.1%, opening at $174.22, highlighting a potential short-term market reaction amidst positive long-term sentiment.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Guggenheim from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $206.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $167.00. Guggenheim's price target would indicate a potential upside of 18.24% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on JNJ. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.40.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $174.22 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $140.68 and a 52-week high of $181.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $173.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.69. The company has a market capitalization of $419.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.40.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.09. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 25.00% and a return on equity of 32.49%. The company had revenue of $23.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.82 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.800-10.900 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 56,471 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.81, for a total transaction of $10,041,108.51. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 178,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,652,491.53. This trade represents a 24.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the fourth 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 during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. LifeWealth Investments LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $226,000. Menard Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 1,866 shares of the company's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $628,000. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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