Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Shares Climb 1.5% – What’s Next?

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded up 1.5% on Thursday. The company traded as high as $278.05 and last traded at $275.17. 5,991,073 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 7,956,292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $271.04.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Icotyde, J&J’s oral plaque-psoriasis treatment, is reportedly gaining traction among U.S. dermatologists and being prescribed earlier in the treatment process. Strong adoption could support pharmaceutical growth and help offset declines in older products. Does Johnson & Johnson Have a New Edge in Plaque Psoriasis?
• Positive Sentiment: J&J presented 26 abstracts at TCT 2026 supporting the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of its Impella heart pumps. The data may strengthen the long-term outlook for the MedTech portfolio despite recent weakness. Johnson & Johnson Presents Impella Data at TCT 2026
• Positive Sentiment: J&J continues to be highlighted as a dependable dividend stock, supported by more than five decades of annual payout increases. That income profile can provide downside support for long-term investors. Dividend Kings With 50-Plus Years of Payout Increases
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J’s recent performance has been strong, with shares reportedly up 42% over the past year, helped by progress toward resolving talc litigation and growth from newer medicines. Analysts are debating whether that advance has already priced in much of the improvement. Johnson & Johnson Is Up 42% in a Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker sentiment remains generally favorable, but the article questions how much weight investors should place on consensus recommendations as J&J trades near its 52-week high and at an elevated earnings multiple. Johnson & Johnson Broker Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: MedTech growth slowed in the third quarter because of international-market challenges and weakness at Abiomed. Investors may be concerned that a rebound in the fourth quarter will not fully offset the segment’s short-term disappointment. JNJ MedTech Segment Disappoints in Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts see potential earnings pressure in 2027, while the market is already assigning a premium valuation after strong gains. That combination increases the risk of profit-taking if growth slows. Johnson & Johnson Strong Q3 Growth, but 2027 Could Test Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of J&J investors. Although such announcements do not establish wrongdoing, they add headline and litigation risk. Pomerantz Investor Investigation

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on JNJ. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $282.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. HSBC lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $294.00 to $292.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $278.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Argus set a $300.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.92.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $265.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $246.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $658.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.21.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 31.64% and a net margin of 16.20%. The firm had revenue of $25.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is presently 81.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $4,090,926.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,367,458. This trade represents a 48.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Taubert sold 15,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. This trade represents a 7.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 64,515 shares of company stock worth $17,271,766. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,967,399,000. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 127.3% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 6,060,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,539,292,000 after acquiring an additional 3,393,981 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 22,588,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,736,851,000 after acquiring an additional 2,513,321 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 17.5% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 13,406,820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,277,163,000 after acquiring an additional 2,001,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the first quarter valued at approximately $314,468,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Founded in 1886, the company develops and markets products and services for patients, healthcare professionals and institutions worldwide.

Johnson & Johnson operates through two principal segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Innovative Medicine focuses on pharmaceuticals for areas such as immunology, oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and cardiovascular conditions.