NEW YORK, January 28, 2026, 19:59 EST — After-hours
- Johnson & Johnson shares climbed roughly 1.5% Wednesday following a rating upgrade and price target boost from Morgan Stanley.
- The FDA approved broader use of J&J’s Darzalex Faspro for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients ineligible for stem cell transplants.
- A regulatory filing revealed that CEO Joaquin Duato’s spouse sold shares totaling roughly $22 million.
Johnson & Johnson shares rose 1.5% on Wednesday, ending the session at $227.72. The jump came after Morgan Stanley upgraded the healthcare giant, highlighting strong momentum from its newer drug portfolio. 1
The upgrade carries weight now as J&J isn’t behaving like the usual slow-and-steady defensive stock—at least not consistently. Morgan Stanley pointed to “commercial momentum from new products” that’s hard to overlook, highlighting a pipeline it considers unusually rich for a big pharma player. 2
Morgan Stanley upgraded J&J from “equal weight” to “overweight” and bumped its price target up to $262 from $200. An overweight rating signals the stock is expected to outperform the analyst’s coverage group average. 3
The bank’s note came a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration broadened the approval for J&J’s Darzalex Faspro, allowing its use in a four-drug combo for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who can’t undergo an autologous stem cell transplant. “D‑VRd increased the depth and durability of responses,” said Saad Z. Usmani, a Memorial Sloan Kettering physician and lead investigator on the study. 4
The FDA approved Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase‑fihj) in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for adults newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are ineligible for transplant. 5
Investors also took in a Form 4 filed Wednesday revealing that Duato’s spouse sold 100,000 J&J shares indirectly on Jan. 26, at a weighted average price near $221 each. 6
The stock’s recent climb follows Johnson & Johnson’s fourth-quarter results and its 2026 outlook, which forecast reported sales near $100.5 billion at the midpoint and adjusted earnings per share around $11.53. “2025 was a catapult year for Johnson & Johnson,” Duato said when releasing the figures. 7
But the bullish case isn’t without its flaws. J&J needs to show that a stronger lineup of new launches can counteract patent losses and potential pricing pressure from Washington. Plus, upgrades could vanish quickly if initial sales figures fall short.
Traders will be watching closely in the next session to see if Wednesday’s move sticks once the Morgan Stanley note sinks in. Attention will also turn to whether volume ramps up in the healthcare sector following the FDA decision.
Income investors are eyeing Feb. 24, the next ex-dividend date for J&J’s $1.30 quarterly payout, set to be paid on March 10, the company announced. 8
