Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.1% on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Johnson & Johnson shares rose 1.1% after Guggenheim raised its price target to $244 and maintained a buy rating, and several other firms (HSBC, Citi, TD Cowen) also bumped targets, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of Moderate Buy with a $237.57 average target.
• Company insiders sold about 30,142 shares worth roughly $7.36 million over the past three months (including EVP sales), lowering insider ownership to just 0.16%.
• The stock traded up to $241.33 (50‑day SMA $240.53 vs. 200‑day SMA $214.17), has a market cap of about $580.5 billion and a P/E of 21.8, and is ~69.6% owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 1.1% during trading on Wednesday after Guggenheim raised their price target on the stock from $240.00 to $244.00. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the stock. Johnson & Johnson traded as high as $241.33 and last traded at $241.0130. Approximately 8,765,959 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average daily volume of 8,722,298 shares. The stock had previously closed at $238.41.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $253.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total transaction of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. The trade was a 45.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple major analysts raised ratings or targets — Citi boosted its price target to $285 (maintained Buy), signaling material upside vs. recent levels. Citigroup adjusts price target on Johnson & Johnson to $285
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen is covering JNJ with a Buy and $250 price target (shows analyst conviction from another boutique shop). Johnson & Johnson: Diversified Growth, Robust Pipeline, and Attractive Risk‑Reward Support Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Barron's argued J&J is a buy ahead of earnings, noting the narrative has shifted from last year's struggles — this helps sentiment into the Q1 print. Buy Johnson & Johnson Ahead of Earnings. The Stock's Run-Up Isn't Over.
• Positive Sentiment: Product/regulatory progress: J&J launched the Varipulse Pro pulsed-field ablation system in Europe (CE mark), which may help electrophysiology device growth. J&J advances PFA portfolio with Varipulse Pro launch in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Therapeutics wins: J&J secured a permanent U.S. reimbursement code for INLEXZO (bladder cancer), reported supportive longer‑term psoriasis data for oral ICOTYDE, and struck a Japan distribution deal for SIRTURO — all reduce commercialization risk for specialty drugs. Johnson & Johnson Updates Key Specialty Therapies And Undervaluation Signals For Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader coverage/visibility: J&J appears on several roundup lists (analyst research calls, low‑volatility blue‑chip lists, and technical “buy zone” commentary), which can attract different investor groups but may have mixed near‑term impact. Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls Here is Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Ranks Among the 15 Best Low Volatility Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Now Dow Jones Medical Giant Johnson & Johnson Eyes Latest Buy Point

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% during the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $240.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $214.17. The stock has a market cap of $580.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.04%. On average, analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

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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