Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Free Report) by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 309,486 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,068 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 3.7% of Willis Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $78,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,436,633,000 after purchasing an additional 69,108,368 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth $6,924,523,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $2,005,942,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 24,436.5% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,473,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,338,000 after buying an additional 4,454,778 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
JNJ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Argus set a $300.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $254.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.22.
More Johnson & Johnson News
Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:
- Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the MONARCH QUEST 3 robotic bronchoscopy update. The system adds artificial-intelligence-powered planning, navigation and imaging capabilities, strengthening J&J’s position in the expanding robotic-assisted medical-procedure market. Johnson & Johnson Wins FDA 510(k) Clearance for MONARCH QUEST 3 Update
- Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved TECVAYLI combined with daratumumab for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The decision was supported by Phase 3 results showing statistically significant progression-free and overall-survival improvements versus standard treatments, potentially expanding sales of J&J’s oncology portfolio. European Commission approves Johnson & Johnson’s TECVAYLI plus daratumumab
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to favor J&J as a dividend-focused healthcare investment, citing its diversified operations and pipeline strength. Recent quarterly results also showed adjusted earnings and revenue ahead of consensus, with revenue up 6.6% year over year and full-year 2026 earnings guidance maintained at $11.60–$11.75 per share. Merck vs. J&J: Which Healthcare Giant Should Investors Choose?
- Neutral Sentiment: J&J’s potential interest in Seaport Therapeutics highlights continued investor focus on neuroscience and business-development opportunities, but no transaction has been announced. Why Bristol Myers, Johnson & Johnson and More Are Watching Seaport After IPO
- Negative Sentiment: Patent-protection losses remain a longer-term risk for several established drugs, although new medicines and recent approvals could help offset declining legacy-product sales. Johnson & Johnson Just Sent Shareholders an Important Message About Its Future
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total value of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 194,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. This trade represents a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total transaction of $5,792,778.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,779,963.81. The trade was a 50.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 63,972 shares of company stock worth $16,245,605 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.
Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.2%
Shares of NYSE:JNJ opened at $270.69 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $255.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $242.80. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $173.33 and a one year high of $276.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $652.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.24.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.11%.
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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