Brokerages Set Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Target Price at $252.48

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $252.4783.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JNJ shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2027 earnings estimate for Johnson & Johnson to $12.66 per share from $12.63, reinforcing the view that earnings power remains solid and slightly better than expected.
• Positive Sentiment: J&J’s cancer business continues to be a growth driver, with reports highlighting Darzalex, Erleada, and newer launches helping oncology sales grow strongly in the latest quarter and supporting the company’s long-term target of $50 billion in cancer sales by 2030. Darzalex, Erleada & New Drugs Keep J&J’s Oncology Engine Charged in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles also pointed to Johnson & Johnson as a favored dividend compounder, which can appeal to income investors looking for stability and long-term payouts. This Dividend Pro Likes Banks, Semi-Equipment Stocks, Altria, and J&J
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J also launched its “Generation Fine” mental health campaign, which is more of a brand and awareness initiative than a direct earnings catalyst, though it underscores continued investment in neuropsychiatry. Johnson & Johnson launches Generation Fine
• Neutral Sentiment: At the same time, recent pipeline commentary was mixed: J&J reported positive progress in some programs, but one mid-stage inflammatory bowel disease candidate did not meet its main endpoint, creating some offsetting uncertainty. Johnson And Johnson Balances Mental Health Push With Mixed Pipeline Outlook

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528 over the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of JNJ. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 6,332 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,539,000 after buying an additional 4,876 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew 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 buying an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% during the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 6,584 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $221.17 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $237.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.58. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $146.12 and a 1 year high of $251.71. The company has a market capitalization of $532.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. On average, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.12%.

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.