JNJ 10-K Analysis: Three Clocks Running Down on the Dividend King
Johnson & Johnson reported $26.8 billion in net income for FY 2025 — a 90.5% surge driven almost entirely by a $7.0 billion talc reserve reversal. Strip that entry and normalized earnings grew just 5.5%, while free cash flow was flat and total debt surged 63% in two years. At $208, the stock trades at 23.4x normalized earnings — not the 18.9x the headline suggests. The 10-K reveals three concurrent risk clocks: a patent cliff hitting hardest in the U.S. (-7.6% STELARA erosion), a leveraged capital return strategy funded by $9.2 billion in new debt at 3-4x old rates, and a 93% FCF payout ratio that only works with continued borrowing.