JNJ JOHNSON & JOHNSON

Price Chart

Executive Summary

Morgan Stanley upgraded JNJ to Overweight from Equal-Weight with a $262 price target, up from $200, representing a 31% increase in the target. The upgrade is part of a cluster of seven firms acting on JNJ, including Wells Fargo, Guggenheim, Leerink Partners, Goldman Sachs, Wolfe Research, and Daiwa Capital. Morgan Stanley has a 91% accuracy rate on 11 calls on JNJ, placing it among the top-tier firms covering the stock. Consensus is heavily bullish with 20 Buy ratings (including Strong Buy) out of 32 total analysts, 12 Holds, and zero Sells. The mean price target is $252.96, implying 12.3% upside from the current $225.33, with a high of $285 and a low of $155. Morgan Stanley's $262 target sits above the mean and median ($260), signaling above-consensus conviction. The 30-day analyst activity shows 1 upgrade and 0 downgrades, with EPS revisions for the current fiscal year showing 14 upward revisions vs 5 downward over the past 30 days, a positive momentum signal. No insider trades were recorded, but institutional activity shows a large new position from Norges Bank ($6.9B) and a 39.7% increase from FMR LLC, while Two Sigma and Renaissance Technologies exited or nearly exited. Short interest is elevated at 55.5% of float, suggesting potential for a squeeze if bullish catalysts materialize. The bottom line: Morgan Stanley's high-accuracy upgrade with a significant PT hike, combined with strong institutional inflows and positive EPS revision momentum, supports a bullish view on JNJ ahead of its July 14 earnings report.

Impact Score

Consensus & Targets

Consensus is heavily bullish: 6 Strong Buy, 14 Buy, 12 Hold, 0 Sell, 0 Strong Sell — 20 Buy-equivalent ratings out of 32 analysts. The direction is overwhelmingly positive, with no bearish ratings.

Mean target is $252.96, median $260, high $285, low $155. Current price $225.33 implies 12.3% upside to the mean. Morgan Stanley's $262 target is above the mean and median, reflecting above-consensus conviction.

Recent Analyst Activity

30-day analyst activity shows 1 upgrade and 0 downgrades. EPS revisions for the current fiscal year show 14 upward revisions vs 5 downward over the past 30 days, with the EPS estimate rising from $11.575 to $11.576. For the next fiscal year, 18 upward revisions vs 2 downward, indicating improving earnings expectations.

Firm Track Record — Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley accuracy: 55% on 4993 calls | avg return: 4.3%

Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 13 firms with ≥5 scored calls.

Morgan Stanley has a 91% accuracy rate on 11 calls for JNJ, with an average return of 9.6%, placing it among the top-tier firms. The best-performing firms on JNJ include Raymond James (100% on 4 calls, avg return 8.2%), Barclays (100% on 4 calls, avg return 12.4%), and Goldman Sachs (100% on 4 calls, avg return 8.8%). The worst-performing is Cantor Fitzgerald (44% on 16 calls, avg return -2%).

Earnings Estimates

Next earnings: Jul 14, 2026

Cross-Platform Signals

No insider trades were recorded. Congressional activity shows one buy (Rep. Ro Khanna, $15k-$50k) and four small sells (Reps. Kean, McCormick, Boozman, $1k-$15k each) — the buy is a modest bullish signal. Institutional activity is mixed: Norges Bank opened a new $6.9B position, FMR LLC added 39.7%, but Two Sigma and Renaissance Technologies exited or nearly exited. Short interest is elevated at 55.5% of float, which could amplify upside if positive catalysts emerge. The bullish analyst signal converges with institutional inflows and positive EPS revisions, but diverges with the large exits by quant funds.

Documents Analyzed

Report based on filing metadata.

US Market Status