While certain people who can afford the time enjoy engaging in stock trading, the majority prefer investing for a longer period. These investors often prefer a “buy and hold” strategy, reinvesting dividends, and compounding the gains over the long haul. When it comes to “buy and hold” stocks that are leaders in a particular industrial sector, investors often look for certain criteria:

• Strong management.
• Proven products and services that serve a large market.
• Solid earnings and growth track record.
• A history of consistent dividend increases 

When it comes to big pharma and healthcare, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global healthcare titan, and supplies treatments for immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular, and metabolism. The company also has a Medical Devices division that provides interventional solutions, orthopedics, surgery technologies, contact lenses, and intraocular lenses. Lastly, it retains a stake in its Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE) spinoff, which supplies Johnson & Johnson branded consumer personal care products. JNJ’s status as a dividend king makes it an elite member of the club of companies with over 50 years of consecutive dividend increases. (JNJ has achieved 63 consecutive years to date.)

336% Gains  in 20 Years

For a strong and steady performance in a healthcare or medical sector stock, JNJ has fared very well. A $25,000 investment in JNJ in 2005 would be worth $103,564.26 today, at the time of this writing, which equates to a 314.26% ROI. The total return would be $78,564.26. 

The annualized return equates to 7.23%. This calculation also includes compounding through reinvested dividends. The reinvested dividend value equates to $47,805.47. The actual cash dividends paid out from the initial 397.46 shares equate to $23,992.45.  If the dividends were not reinvested, the total return would be $33,171.70. Therefore, reinvesting the dividends enabled an additional return difference of $45,392.56 over the two decade stretch. 

JNJ: The Top Pharma Dividend King

The Dividend Kings are an exclusive club among stocks. They are emblematic examples of companies that have established themselves as leaders in their sector for 50 years or more, with a commensurate track record of annual dividend increases. At the time of this writing, there are only 55 qualified Dividend King member stocks in the club. 

Although pharma sector rival Abbott Labs (53 years) is also a dividend king, Johnson & Johnson’s 63 years of dividend hikes in a row as of 2025, tops it by a decade. 

A stock’s payout ratio is a rule-of-thumb guide for analysts to determine the relative financial strength of a company, the competence of its management, and the sustainability of its dividends for future fiscal quarters. JNJ’s dividend ratio is a remarkable 55.2%, meaning over half of its earnings get returned to shareholders. According to FullRatio, the Healthcare sector payout ratio average is 38.9%. A higher payout ratio usually indicates that the company is flush with cash, a sure sign that management is steering events in the right direction. 

Why DRIP Is So Popular

For investors seeking to maximize returns and possessing the wherewithal to forego the income from dividends, Dividend Reinvestment Programs (DRIP) are a preferred strategy. Frequently deployed by pension funds and company 401-K plans, DRIP uses the dividends to fund additional stock purchases in fractional shares as required, allowing the investor to realize several wealth-building investment techniques:

• Compounding – A key component of wealth building, compounding is a portfolio growth force multiplier. Boosting returns from a fund or ETF via compounding is routine practice for numerous institutional and High Net Worth individual accounts. 
• Dollar-Cost Averaging – By continuing to add to a position that is moving in a positive or negative direction, one either rides a stock up during a bullish market or buys more shares after a price pullback or correction, at a consequently lower price, thus averaging the entire position at a lower price.  
• The main stumbling block for someone wishing to deploy DRIP is the need to be mindful of  taxes due on the dividends. While one’s tax bracket will often determine the necessary tax mitigation strategies, it is important to bear in mind the impact that taxes will have on returns, especially if other tax liabilities may be looming. 

JNJ’s long history as a premier healthcare drugmaker and dividend king, along with its ubiquitous products, should supply it with resilience that its competitors may lack in the case of a downturn, and give it a leg up during another bull market period in the sector. 

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