J&J: A Fortress, More or Less

People spend a lifetime accumulating things, mostly anxieties. Then they reach a point where they want those anxieties to…stay the same size. That’s retirement, more or less. You chase growth when you’re young, then stability. It’s a funny little loop. And dividends? They’re a way to get a bit back without actually doing anything. A small victory, if you ask me.

Johnson & Johnson. JNJ. They’ve been handing out dividends for a long time. Over fifty years. That’s…a lot of years. They call them a Dividend King. Kings fall, of course. But this one seems pretty sturdy. So it goes.

A Reliable Cog in the Machine

The healthcare industry? It just keeps going. People get sick. They always will. It’s not a cheerful thought, but it’s a fact. Trillions of dollars flow through it every year. J&J sits right in the middle, making things to fix what ails us. They have a strong grip on the market, holding top positions in many areas. Which is to say, they’re good at what they do. Or, at least, they’re good at selling what they do.

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They make drugs, devices…all sorts of things. Over 75% of their products are leaders in their fields. That’s not luck. That’s…competence. A rare thing these days.

Pockets Deep Enough to Ignore the Void

Size matters. Especially in healthcare. J&J has plenty of it. They can afford to develop new things, buy up smaller companies, and still keep handing out those dividends. It’s a comforting thought, isn’t it? That someone, somewhere, has a plan.

The stock yields about 2.1%. They’ve raised the dividend for 63 years. Sixty-three. That’s a commitment. And they have a top credit rating (AAA). Which means they can borrow money easily. Useful when you’re trying to stave off the inevitable. The dividend is safe, costing less than half of this year’s earnings.

J&J is a big company. Almost $600 billion in market cap. It won’t make you rich overnight. But it might help you avoid becoming poor. They think they can grow at a double-digit rate by the end of the decade. Optimistic, perhaps. But who isn’t, these days?

So, J&J. It’s not a cure for existential dread. But it’s a solid company. A safe place to put your money. A fortress, more or less, in a world that’s constantly crumbling. And sometimes, that’s enough.

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2026-02-22 21:13