Leerink Partners Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Leerink Partners from $201.00 to $232.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Leerink Partners’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 5.32% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Johnson Rice set a $190.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.82.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:JNJ opened at $220.29 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $530.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $141.50 and a twelve month high of $222.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $208.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.93.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.46. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.34% and a net margin of 28.46%.The firm had revenue of $24.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.430-11.630 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 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 purchasing an additional 6,332 shares during the last quarter. United Bank increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $896,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.0% during the second quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Harrell Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 8.2% in the second quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 38,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,865,000 after purchasing an additional 2,913 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat, stronger guidance and rising free cash flow: JNJ beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations, raised FY outlook and guided to materially higher 2026 free cash flow (~$21B), which underpins analyst upgrades and ETF buying interest. ETFs to Buy Post JNJ’s Q4 Earnings Surprise & Bullish Cash Flow View
• Positive Sentiment: Large Scotiabank upgrade: Scotiabank moved to “sector outperform” and raised its target sharply (to $265), signaling confidence in J&J’s growth runway and boosting investor appetite. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Gets a Buy from Scotiabank
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple price target raises from analysts: Leerink (+$201→$232) and Sanford C. Bernstein (+$208→$225) (and others including Stifel, BofA) have nudged targets higher, reflecting the quarter and helping push sentiment positive. Leerink Raises Price Target Bernstein Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/trend signals: MarketBeat highlights a trend‑following buy signal after a post‑earnings pullback — technical confirmation can attract momentum and institutional flows. Trend‑Following Buy Signal
• Positive Sentiment: MedTech strength and product pipeline: MedTech sales growth, product launches and the OTTAVA robotic submission provide a potential high‑growth stream beyond staples like Stelara. MedTech Growth & Product Launches
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation checks: Coverage pieces are assessing JNJ’s valuation after the rally — some see limited near‑term upside from current levels, which could temper aggressive buying. Valuation After Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Talc litigation risk: A Special Master allowed plaintiffs’ expert testimony in the talc MDL, keeping litigation risk visible and a potential earnings/cash‑flow overhang. Talc Litigation Update

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.