5 Defensive Healthcare Dividend Stocks To Buy

In this article, we discuss 5 defensive healthcare dividend stocks to buy now. If you want to read our detailed analysis of the healthcare sector and its performance over the years, go directly to read 12 Defensive Healthcare Dividend Stocks To Buy. 

5. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Dividend Yield as of December 12: 2.57%

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is an American leading Big Pharma company that specializes in medical devices and offers other medical services. The stock delivered a 2.45% return to shareholders year-to-date and its 12-month return came in at 4.33%, as of December 12.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the best dividend stocks on our list as the company has raised its payouts for 60 years in a row. It currently pays a quarterly dividend of $1.13 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.57%, as of December 12.

In December, Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) to $178 with an Equal Weight rating on the shares, appreciating the company’s decision to separate its Consumer Health segment into an independent company.

As of the close of Q3 2022, 85 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database owned stakes in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), up from 83 in the previous quarter. The collective value of these stakes is over $5.4 billion. Among these hedge funds, Fisher Asset Management was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q3.

Here’s what Distillate Capital Partners LLC said about Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in its Q2 2022 investor letter:

“Johnson & Johnson was among the 2 largest trims at around 1% each. Each stock was up 1% in the quarter compared to the 16% price decline for the S&P 500 and the positions were reduced as the valuations became somewhat less appealing, though still attractive enough to warrant inclusion.”