An unloved health-care stock gets a welcome nod in this AI-obsessed market

Health-care stocks aren't getting much of a look in this AI-driven market. That makes a Wall Street upgrade of Johnson & Johnson a bit of an outlier — and a pleasant surprise. Leerink analysts lifted J & J shares to a buy equivalent from hold on Wednesday, citing the company's slate of new drugs, including Icotyde, a medicine for severe plaque psoriasis, and Inlexzo, which treats bladder cancer. "Our thesis is that strong new drug momentum will drive accelerating revenue growth and stock outperformance," Leerink wrote in a note to clients. Shares of J & J rose over 2% Wednesday, but are still off roughly 4% from when we initiated our position in early April. Year to date, the stock is up 10%, while the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) is down 9%. "Healthcare has just been so out of favor in a market that only has eyes for AI," said director of portfolio analysis for the Club, Jeff Marks. At the foundation of Leerink's thesis is Icotyde, an oral pill that launched in March and is part of J & J's strategic push to aggressively compete with injectable solutions. The drug is also in phase 3 trials for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, which Leerink views as a potential catalyst in 2028. For fiscal year 2026 alone, analysts forecast $405 million in Icotyde sales, 50% above the Street consensus of $268 million. The analysts also raised their sales growth targets by 24-34% annually over the next five years. Analysts also cited strong initial patient demand in Inlexzo, which launched in September. During the company's latest earnings call, J & J CFO Joseph Wolk disclosed for the first time that Inlexzo's quarterly sales surpassed $30 million, a move the analysts called a "bullish indicator because JNJ does not typically comment on quarterly sales of products during initial launches." Leerink's new price target of $265 per share, up from $252, is in line with the Club and implies over 15% upside. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long JNJ. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.