Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Trading Up 1.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Posted by Linda Flegge on Jul 19th, 2026

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report)’s share price rose 1.2% during trading on Friday after Freedom Capital upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $255.66 and last traded at $252.9290. Approximately 10,077,541 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 19% from the average session volume of 8,460,292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $249.97.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Argus raised their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $258.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $263.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.30.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Johnson & Johnson

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates, showing solid demand and execution in its core business. J&J Stock Falls Despite Strong Q2 Beat & Higher 2026 View: Here’s Why
Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 guidance after the report, reinforcing confidence in its growth outlook and pipeline momentum. Johnson & Johnson Raises 2026 Outlook After Q2 Earnings Beat
Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $270 price target, signaling continued analyst confidence. Benzinga article on Guggenheim rating reaffirmation
Positive Sentiment: Some market commentary suggests the post-earnings pullback could be an opportunity to buy JNJ on strength after a run to 52-week highs. Why Johnson and Johnson’s Earnings Dip Looks Like a Buying Opportunity
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also digesting the full Q2 earnings call transcript and several commentary pieces framing the company’s growth beyond legacy drugs and its collaboration announcements. Full Transcript: Johnson & Johnson Q2 2026 Earnings Call
Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, the stock fell because MedTech results missed expectations, creating concern that one important division is lagging behind the company’s otherwise solid performance. J&J Stock Falls Despite Strong Q2 Beat & Higher 2026 View: Here’s Why

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 4,876 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% during the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,255,000 after buying an additional 6,584 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $608.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.63.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 32.86%. The company had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.77 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 62.11%.

About Johnson & Johnson

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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.