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

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shot up 1.1% 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. 8,765,959 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average session volume of 8,722,298 shares. The stock had previously closed at $238.41.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on JNJ. Leerink Partners upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $201.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $210.00 to $240.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $237.57.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big analyst bullishness — Citigroup raised its price target to $285 and maintained a Buy, signaling a material upside to consensus; Guggenheim and TD Cowen also have Buy calls and lifted targets, supporting near-term demand. Citigroup raises price target to $285
• Positive Sentiment: New/maintained buy coverage from TD Cowen and supportive analyst commentary highlight J&J’s diversified pipeline and attractive risk/reward into earnings. TD Cowen / TipRanks coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory / product catalyst — J&J launched its next‑gen Varipulse Pro PFA catheter in Europe (CE mark), which could support device revenue growth in electrophysiology. Varipulse Pro launch in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Specialty therapy wins — permanent U.S. reimbursement code for bladder cancer therapy INLEXZO and distribution deals (e.g., SIRTURO in Japan) reduce commercialization risk and boost revenue visibility in niche franchises. Johnson & Johnson updates key specialty therapies
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/analyst pieces are bullish ahead of Q1 — Barron’s and other outlets recommend buying into the earnings run-up, which supports momentum but also raises expectations risk. Barron’s: Buy ahead of earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed market commentary — coverage noting the stock “increases yet falls behind the market” and inclusion on low‑volatility/blue‑chip lists boost interest but are not direct fundamental drivers. Zacks: Increases yet falls behind market

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $240.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $214.35. The firm has a market cap of $580.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.34.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 28.46%. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS 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.