Leerink Partners Increases Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Price Target to $232.00

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at Leerink Partners from $201.00 to $232.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Leerink Partners’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.44% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. 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 research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Argus set a $210.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.82.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.7%

Johnson & Johnson stock traded up $1.55 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $220.04. 570,586 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,340,856. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $530.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $141.50 and a 52-week high of $222.17. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $207.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.48.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $24.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.04 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. On average, research analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and raised 2026 outlook — JNJ topped earnings and revenue estimates, reported stronger organic growth and issued 2026 guidance that management says should exceed Street expectations, supporting bullish sentiment. JNJ Tops Q4 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Several firms raised price targets (notably Scotiabank to $265) and the consensus broker view is skewed toward buy/moderate buy, which supports further upside. Scotiabank Raises JNJ Target
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend credibility and cash returns — J&J’s Dividend King status (63+ years of raises), healthy payout ratio and buyback capacity keep income investors supportive. Dividend King Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical setup — Analysts/market outlets note a trend‑following buy signal after the post‑earnings pullback, which can attract momentum flows but is dependent on macro/sector breadth. MarketBeat Technical Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and TV endorsements — Positive commentary from high‑profile commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) may underpin short‑term interest but has limited fundamental impact. Jim Cramer on JNJ
• Negative Sentiment: Talc litigation advances — A court decision cleared the way for plaintiffs’ expert testimony in the talc MDL, a legal overhang that can resume volatility and possible liability risk. Talc Litigation Update
• Negative Sentiment: Stelara biosimilar pressure — Loss of Stelara patent protection and accelerating biosimilar competition dented prior sales and remain a medium‑term headwind for revenue mix. Stelara Biosimilar Headwind
• Negative Sentiment: Drug‑pricing deal cost — Management flagged “hundreds of millions” of costs tied to a recent drug‑pricing agreement, which modestly offsets EPS upside in 2026. Guidance & Pricing Headwind

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

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.