Johnson & Johnson Gains as Higher Outlook and Pre-Earnings Optimism Support Shares

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is up 3.4% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move appears tied to improving sentiment ahead of second-quarter earnings, helped by a recent analyst price-target increase and the company’s previously raised 2026 outlook. This could also be because investors are favoring large, defensive healthcare names with steady cash flow and visible product momentum as earnings season gets closer.

Details:

In its first-quarter 2026 update, Johnson & Johnson reported sales growth to $24.1 billion and lifted its full-year sales and adjusted EPS outlook, giving investors a stronger baseline for the rest of the year.

The company has scheduled its second-quarter 2026 earnings release and investor call for July 15, which may be drawing buyers looking for another solid print.

A recent analyst note lifted the stock’s price target to $270 and pointed to stronger drug sales expectations, reinforcing the view that core pharmaceutical demand remains healthy.

Management also highlighted recent product and pipeline progress in oncology, immunology, and medtech, which may be supporting confidence beyond the near-term quarter.

Sources:

Johnson & Johnson, Stock Analysis, Investing.com

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$JNJ Insider Trading Activity

$JNJ insiders have traded $JNJ stock on the open market 18 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 18 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $JNJ stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

JOAQUIN DUATO (CEO and Chairman of the Board) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 100,000 shares for an estimated $22,122,893.
JOSEPH J WOLK (Exec VP, CFO) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 89,654 shares for an estimated $21,767,826.
JAMES D. SWANSON (EVP, CIO) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 62,080 shares for an estimated $15,109,758.
JOHN C REED (EVP, Innovative Medicine, R&D) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 53,931 shares for an estimated $13,105,233.
TIMOTHY SCHMID (EVP, WW Chair, MedTech) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 23,945 shares for an estimated $5,852,268.
KATHRYN E WENGEL (EVP, Chief TO and Risk Officer) sold 10,000 shares for an estimated $2,411,500
VANESSA BROADHURST (EVP, Global Corp Affairs) sold 6,197 shares for an estimated $1,508,287
ROBERT J DECKER (VP Corporate Controller) sold 4,075 shares for an estimated $1,010,070

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

$JNJ Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 1,753 institutional investors add shares of $JNJ stock to their portfolio, and 2,089 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE CO removed 69,083,868 shares (-99.5%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $16,851,282,501
HIGHTOWER ADVISORS, LLC added 6,535,453 shares (+165.5%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,594,160,373
FMR LLC added 5,995,157 shares (+31.9%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,462,368,671
CAPITAL RESEARCH GLOBAL INVESTORS added 5,870,178 shares (+204.5%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,431,883,168
CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS removed 4,853,668 shares (-65.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,183,930,966
BLACKROCK, INC. added 4,604,387 shares (+2.2%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,123,125,098
DIAMANT ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC. added 4,454,778 shares (+24436.5%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,086,631,723

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$JNJ Government Contracts

We have seen $29,963,678 of award payments to $JNJ over the last year.

Here are some of the awards which we have have seen pay out the most over the last year:

4569579217!4.5MM LCP PROXIMAL FEMUR: $471,086
4571008411!3.5 VOLT(TM) STRAIGHT PLATE 18H/L241MM: $371,238
4570981518!VA LOCKING HAND INSTRUMENT: $271,776
4569393992!CSS+ LARGE SET: $218,394
4569589297!3.5/4.0 IMPLANT & INST SET: $210,632

To track government contracts to publicy traded companies, check out Quiver Quantitative's government contracts dashboard. You can access data on government contracts through the Quiver Quantitative API government contracts endpoint.

$JNJ Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $JNJ stock 7 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 2 have been purchases and 5 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $JNJ stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

REPRESENTATIVE LLOYD DOGGETT has traded it 2 times. They made 2 purchases worth up to $30,000 on 06/09, 03/10 and 0 sales.
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS H. KEAN, JR. has traded it 2 times. They made 0 purchases and 2 sales worth up to $65,000 on 03/26, 01/23.
REPRESENTATIVE RICHARD MCCORMICK has traded it 2 times. They made 0 purchases and 2 sales worth up to $30,000 on 03/19.
SENATOR JOHN BOOZMAN sold up to $15,000 on 03/19.

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API Congress trades endpoint.

$JNJ Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $JNJ in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Morgan Stanley issued a "Overweight" rating on 01/28/2026
TD Cowen issued a "Buy" rating on 01/22/2026

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $JNJ, check out Quiver Quantitative's $JNJ forecast page.

$JNJ Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $JNJ recently. We have seen 16 analysts offer price targets for $JNJ in the last 6 months, with a median target of $255.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Vamil Divan from Guggenheim set a target price of $270.0 on 06/26/2026
David Risinger from Leerink Partners set a target price of $265.0 on 05/13/2026
Larry Biegelsen from Wells Fargo set a target price of $263.0 on 04/15/2026
Rick Wise from Stifel set a target price of $250.0 on 04/15/2026
Matt Miksic from Barclays set a target price of $255.0 on 04/15/2026
Terence Flynn from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $267.0 on 04/10/2026
Michael Nedelcovych from TD Cowen set a target price of $250.0 on 04/08/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.