J&J's MedTech Segment Slowing Down: Will its Sales Recover in 2025?

Johnson & Johnson JNJ is one of the few large drug and medical device companies with a presence in both the pharmaceuticals as well as medical devices segments. J&J’s medical devices segment, called MedTech, offers products in the orthopedics, surgery, cardiovascular and vision markets. The MedTech segment accounts for around 36% of J&J’s total revenues.

Sales in the MedTech segment rose 4.1% on an operational basis in the first quarter of 2025, driven by new product uptake and commercial execution, and contributions from the recent acquisitions of Shockwave and Abiomed.

However, sales in J&J’s MedTech business continue to face headwinds in the Asia Pacific, particularly in China. Sales in China are being hurt by the impact of the volume-based procurement (VBP) program and the anticorruption campaign. VBP is a government-driven cost-containment effort in China.

In the MedTech segment, recent acquisitions of Shockwave and Abiomed, as well as continued uptake of its new products, are likely to drive growth in 2025. However, J&J does not expect any improvement in its business in the Asia Pacific region, specifically in China, in 2025. Competitive pressure is also hurting sales growth in some MedTech businesses, such as PFA ablation catheters in U.S. electrophysiology. JNJ expects continued impacts from VBP issues in China in 2025 as VBP expands across provinces and products.

Nonetheless, sales are expected to be higher in the second half of 2025 than in the first half as the business moves past tougher first-quarter comps and new products gain momentum throughout 2025. However, tariff-related costs are expected to hurt profits in the MedTech segment

J&J’s Key Competitors in the Medical Devices Market

J&J’s MedTech unit faces strong competition from several major players in the medical device industry like Medtronic MDT, Abbott, Stryker SYK and Boston Scientific BSX.

While Medtronic has a strong presence in cardiovascular, neuroscience and surgical technologies, Stryker Corporation is a global leader in medical technology, specializing in innovative solutions across surgical, neurotechnology, orthopedics and spine care. Boston Scientific markets products for cardiovascular, endoscopy, urology and neuromodulation. Abbott is known for its medical device products across cardiovascular, diagnostics, and diabetes care. 

JNJ’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

J&J’s shares have outperformed the industry year to date. The stock has risen 7.1% in the year-to-date period against a 0.4% decline of the industry.

From a valuation standpoint, J&J is reasonably priced. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 14.12 forward earnings, lower than 14.92 for the industry. The stock is also trading below its five-year mean of 15.74.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings has remained unchanged at $10.60 per share over the past 60 days, while that for 2026 has declined from $11.00 to $10.98 over the same timeframe.

J&J has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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