First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Free Report) by 1.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,108,927 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,425 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $515,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Greenberg Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth about $954,000. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 161,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,390,000 after buying an additional 26,450 shares in the last quarter. Benchmark Financial LLC purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter valued at about $554,000. Robinhood Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth about $11,853,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,410,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $705,736,000 after buying an additional 28,370 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson
Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:
- Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved J&J’s OTTAVA robotic surgery system, opening the door for Johnson & Johnson to compete in robotic soft-tissue surgery and potentially expand its medtech growth runway. Reuters article on OTTAVA approval
- Positive Sentiment: Investors are also encouraged by the prospect of a phased launch of OTTAVA with select customers, suggesting J&J is preparing a commercial rollout after securing clearance. Medical Device Network article on OTTAVA launch plans
- Positive Sentiment: J&J also continues to look like a defensive income stock, with a newly declared quarterly dividend reinforcing its appeal to dividend-focused investors. Yahoo Finance dividend article
- Neutral Sentiment: A federal judge cast doubt on roughly 69,000 talc-related cancer claims, but the court did not dismiss the litigation outright, so the legal overhang remains a mixed but potentially improving risk for J&J. Reuters talc litigation article
Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 2.0%
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.86% and a net margin of 21.48%.The business had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.77 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 EPS for the current year.
Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is 62.11%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $284.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Argus increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $254.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Johnson Rice raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from an “outperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.30.
Read Our Latest Research Report on JNJ
About Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is a multinational healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products across pharmaceuticals, medical devices and previously consumer health. Founded in 1886 by the Johnson family, the company has grown into a global healthcare organization with operations and sales in many countries around the world.
The company’s pharmaceuticals business, organized largely under its Janssen research and development organization, focuses on prescription medicines across therapeutic areas such as immunology, infectious disease, oncology and neuroscience.
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