Kenvue's Study Finds No Autism Link with Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

JNJ-0.41%

KMB-1.09%

KVUE-0.35%

Source: seekingalpha

Updated: 1h ago

0mins

Source: seekingalpha

Study Findings: An analysis of 43 studies indicates no clinically significant increase in the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability from acetaminophen use during pregnancy, alleviating public concerns regarding Kenvue's (KVUE) painkiller.
Data Sources: The research team utilized databases like ClinicalTrials.gov to gather comprehensive data, ensuring the reliability of findings that contribute to discussions about the drug's impact on fetal development.
Legal Context: Following President Trump's association of the medication with autism, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued J&J (JNJ) and Kenvue (KVUE) for failing to warn about potential risks in their marketing literature, heightening public scrutiny of the drug.
M&A Activity: Kenvue (KVUE) has entered into a $48.7 billion cash and stock acquisition agreement with Kimberly-Clark (KMB), demonstrating the company's pursuit of growth opportunities despite ongoing legal challenges.

JNJ

$218.66+Infinity%1D

Analyst Views on JNJ

Wall Street analysts forecast JNJ stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for JNJ is 207.26 USD with a low forecast of 176.00 USD and a high forecast of 230.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

20 Analyst Rating

13 Buy

7 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 219.570

Low

176.00

Averages

207.26

High

230.00

Current: 219.570

Low

176.00

Averages

207.26

High

230.00

Bernstein

Lee Hambright

Market Perform

maintain

$193 -> $208

Al Analysis

2026-01-09

Reason

Bernstein

Lee Hambright

Price Target

$193 -> $208

Al Analysis

2026-01-09

maintain

Market Perform

Reason

Bernstein analyst Lee Hambright raised the firm's price target on Johnson & Johnson to $208 from $193 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares. After a low point in September 2025, U.S. healthcare stocks have begun to perform better over the past several months, the firm notes. As the market gets more clarity on many of the macro / policy uncertainties that weighed on healthcare stocks during the course of 2025, Bernstein anticipates better days ahead for healthcare stocks in 2026.

Barclays

Equal Weight

maintain

$197 -> $217

2025-12-30

Reason

Barclays

Price Target

$197 -> $217

2025-12-30

maintain

Equal Weight

Reason

Barclays raised the firm's price target on Johnson & Johnson to $217 from $197 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares. The firm's analysis of sales and scrip data through the last week of December points to upside to consensus estimates in Q4 for J&J, driven primarily by Darzalex, Tremfya and Simponi. Barclays increased estimates ahead of the earnings print.

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Goldman Sachs

Asad Haider

maintain

$213 -> $240

2025-12-18

Reason

Goldman Sachs

Asad Haider

Price Target

$213 -> $240

2025-12-18

maintain

Reason

Goldman Sachs analyst Asad Haider raised the firm's price target on Johnson & Johnson to $240 from $213 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares.

RBC Capital

Outperform

maintain

$230 -> $240

2025-12-17

Reason

RBC Capital

Price Target

$230 -> $240

2025-12-17

maintain

Outperform

Reason

RBC Capital raised the firm's price target on Johnson & Johnson to $240 from $230 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares as part of a broader research note previewing 2026 for Medical Supplies & Devices. The firm anticipates a year of positive momentum as sector fundamentals are solidly intact driven by the aging demographics, growing global healthcare access, and differentiated innovation, the analyst tells investors in a research note. For the company, RBC notes that JNJ appears poised to be a top-tier grower in MedTech with its strategy around "portfolio shifting" and "focused innovation" to participate in higher-growth end-markets.

About JNJ

Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries are engaged in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of a range of products in the healthcare field. The Company’s segments include Innovative Medicine and MedTech. The Innovative Medicine segment is focused on various therapeutic areas, including immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, pulmonary hypertension, cardiovascular and metabolism. Its products include REMICADE (infliximab), SIMPONI (golimumab), SIMPONI ARIA (golimumab), STELARA (ustekinumab), TREMFYA (guselkumab), EDURANT (rilpivirine), and INVEGA SUSTENNA/XEPLION (paliperidone palmitate). The MedTech segment includes a portfolio of products used in cardiovascular, orthopedics, surgery, and vision categories. The Cardiovascular portfolio includes electrophysiology products to treat heart rhythm disorders and circulatory restoration products (Shockwave) for the treatment of calcified coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD).

About the author

Emily J. Thompson

Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.