Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Johnson & Johnson shares rose 2% in mid-day trading after a wave of positive company news, including a recent high near $237.71. The move came on slightly lighter-than-average volume.
• The biggest catalyst was J&J’s $1 billion all-cash acquisition of Firefly Bio, which adds a degrader antibody conjugate platform and strengthens its push into KRAS-driven cancer treatments. Analysts said the deal could enhance the company’s oncology pipeline and bull case.
• J&J also got support for Darzalex-based therapy from NICE in first-line multiple myeloma, reinforcing its oncology franchise and revenue outlook. Separately, the stock continues to face some patent and legal headwinds, though analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating.

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) rose 2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $237.71 and last traded at $236.8810. Approximately 8,192,473 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 2% from the average daily volume of 8,338,312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $232.16.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: J&J announced a $1 billion all-cash acquisition of Firefly Bio, adding its Firelink degrader antibody conjugate platform and strengthening the company’s efforts in KRAS-driven cancer treatments. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New reports say the Firefly deal could help J&J crack harder-to-treat cancer targets, while commentary from analysts highlighted improving oncology and immunology pipeline momentum that could shift the bull case further in J&J’s favor. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: J&J also secured extended NICE support for Darzalex-based therapy in first-line multiple myeloma, which supports the company’s oncology franchise and may improve long-term revenue visibility. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that J&J has outperformed recently and continues to be viewed as a defensive healthcare name, but these pieces were largely commentary rather than new company-specific catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article flagged ongoing patent and legal headwinds, which remain a risk for J&J even as the company’s diversified business and pipeline help offset them. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Johnson Rice raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of 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, Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.04.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $231.83 and a 200-day moving average of $226.38. The company has a market cap of $570.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.97%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blueline Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

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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