Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Up 3.8% – Here’s What Happened

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price rose 3.8% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $269.67 and last traded at $267.6680. 9,712,091 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 21% from the average daily volume of 8,006,106 shares. The stock had previously closed at $257.78.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investor demand for defensive large-cap healthcare stocks is supporting JNJ as broader large-cap shares weaken. The company is benefiting from the same defensive rotation that lifted Procter & Gamble and other stable, cash-generating businesses. Defensive stocks article
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ’s pharmaceutical business is emerging as an important growth driver. Strong drug sales helped the company raise its 2026 outlook to approximately $101.2 billion in sales at the midpoint and slightly increase adjusted EPS guidance, reinforcing confidence in its earnings trajectory. Johnson & Johnson guidance article
• Positive Sentiment: New real-world data for the VARIPULSE Pro platform and 12-month outcomes from the OMNYPULSE platform provide additional support for JNJ’s electrophysiology and atrial-fibrillation treatment portfolio, potentially strengthening its medical-device growth story. VARIPULSE and OMNYPULSE data
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s 64-year record of annual dividend increases remains attractive to income-focused investors, although its recent total returns have lagged the S&P 500 and rising Treasury yields make dividend stocks less compelling for some investors. JNJ dividend history
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank downgraded JNJ from “buy” to “hold,” reflecting possible caution over the stock’s premium valuation and the need for continued pharmaceutical growth. Erste Group downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights uneven performance: pharmaceuticals advanced, while another business reportedly stalled. A sharp year-over-year decline in reported profit—though distorted by unusual factors—could also create headline volatility and raise questions about whether JNJ’s premium earnings multiple is justified. JNJ growth story article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank lowered Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners lowered their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $276.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $275.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $294.00 to $292.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.92.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 3.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $645.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.21. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.11.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.38 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 31.54% and a net margin of 16.20%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 33,597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.74, for a total transaction of $9,230,439.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,991,308.78. The trade was a 56.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total value of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. The trade was a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 64,515 shares of company stock valued at $17,271,766. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BIP Wealth LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 15,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,216,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. MLP3 LLC boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 6.7% in the third quarter. MLP3 LLC now owns 3,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $804,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. MBL Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.3% in the third quarter. MBL Wealth LLC now owns 10,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Darrow Company Inc. bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Lake Street Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,850,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.