Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on JNJ. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $240.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Loop Capital set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Daiwa America raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $213.33.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $218.81 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $527.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.34. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $141.50 and a twelve month high of $220.11. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $206.43 and its 200-day moving average is $187.62.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio is 50.19%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 16,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,425,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd now owns 7,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,524,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. M3 Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. M3 Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,154,000 after buying an additional 14,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Wealth Partners Inc. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 3,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Analysts are becoming more constructive on JNJ heading into 2026, citing improving fundamentals and durable cash flow that support the dividend and valuation. Analysts Turn More Constructive on Johnson & Johnson
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights J&J alongside other large names and notes strong pharma and MedTech momentum, which could underpin revenue growth and investor confidence heading into earnings. Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ continues to be recommended as a dividend holding in retail investor lists, reinforcing demand from income‑oriented investors given its yield and payout consistency. 3 Dividend Stocks to Own
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple pre‑earnings analyst pieces (TipRanks, Zacks) note JNJ’s Q4 revenue expectations (~$24.16B, roughly +7% YoY) and discuss positioning strategies for investors who want exposure but want to limit risk ahead of the print. Is JNJ Stock a Buy Ahead of Q4?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ Q&A on buy/hold/sell frames JNJ as a mixed case: strong product momentum but headline risk into the report — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold J&J Ahead of Q4?
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha warns J&J is tempering expectations after a sizable 2025 downgrade, highlighting margin and growth pressures that could weigh on sentiment if management echoes lowered guidance. Tempering Expectations After A Massive 2025
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks and other previews call out near‑term headwinds: Stelara biosimilar competition and China market pressures that could blunt top‑line growth and weigh on the print. Buy/Sell/Hold Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Hold rating, signaling limited near‑term upside in analyst coverage and possibly contributing to cautious positioning. Bank of America Sticks to Hold

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.