Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson to $263 (from $240) and kept an "overweight" rating, implying about a 10% upside from the current share price.
• Johnson & Johnson beat Q1 expectations with $2.70 EPS and $24.06B revenue, raised FY2026 EPS guidance to 11.45–11.65, and announced a dividend increase—moves that underpin the bullish outlook.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $247.48 consensus target, while the street picture is mixed (one Strong Buy, 17 Buy, 9 Hold) amid notable institutional ownership and recent position increases by large funds.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $240.00 to $263.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 10.03% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $201.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $247.48.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE JNJ opened at $239.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $575.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.67, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $146.12 and a 12 month high of $251.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $241.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.38.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.04%. The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company's stock worth $49,740,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,074 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company's stock worth $27,704,364,000 after buying an additional 1,663,782 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company's stock worth $1,436,633,000 after acquiring an additional 69,108,368 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,967,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,738,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,924,523,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance lift — J&J reported $2.70 EPS vs. ~$2.68 expected and $24.06B revenue, then raised FY2026 sales and EPS outlook, which supports higher multiple and investor confidence. Johnson & Johnson Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raise reinforces income thesis — Board increased the quarterly payout to $1.34 (64th consecutive annual increase), supporting yield-oriented investors and reducing downside volatility. Business Wire: Dividend Increase
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial drivers: oncology and new therapies — Strong sales from Darzalex, Tremfya and Spravato (notable QoQ and YoY growth) underpin the raised outlook and signal sustainable growth beyond legacy products. Yahoo Finance: Raises 2026 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and sentiment — Some bullish takes argue upside (e.g., a MarketBeat piece saying a ~20% gain looks achievable), while others caution valuation vs. growth peers; watch analyst revisions post‑call. MarketBeat: 20% Gain Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/broker notes highlight sector implications — J&J’s results are being read as a signal for healthcare ETFs and psychedelics peers (Spravato strength), which may amplify flows into/away from JNJ depending on broader sector moves. ETF Trends: Sector Implications
• Negative Sentiment: Profit decline, cash‑flow and margin pressure — Despite top‑line beats, Q1 profit fell and free cash flow reportedly declined, which raises near‑term margin and cash concerns. RTTNews: Profit Down
• Negative Sentiment: Stelara decline & biosimilar risk — A steep drop in Stelara sales and ongoing biosimilar competition for legacy drugs remain a headwind and a source of uncertainty for sustaining past revenue levels. Reuters: Stelara Sales Disappoint
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed market reaction — Some coverage notes the stock initially slipped despite the beat, reflecting investor focus on margins, modest guidance details versus expectations and rotation within the sector. Investors Business Daily: Early Slip

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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