23,454 Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial reduced its Johnson & Johnson stake by 9%, selling 23,454 shares and retaining 235,822 shares valued at approximately $62.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.55% of J&J.
• J&J’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $2.59 versus the $2.53 consensus and revenue up 5.9% year over year to $25.4 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.34 per share, implying a 2.0% yield.
• The stock has mixed drivers: the U.K. approval of its oral psoriasis treatment and encouraging MedTech data support growth, while valuation concerns, falling estimates, MedTech weakness and a reportedly failed orthopedics combination weigh on sentiment. Analysts nevertheless maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $275.92.

Vest Financial LLC cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 235,822 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,454 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $62,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Outlook Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Matrix Trust Co increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 56.2% in the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter valued at $43,000. Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the second quarter valued at about $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Johnson & Johnson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The United Kingdom approved J&J’s oral psoriasis treatment, expanding the company’s commercial opportunity in a major market and strengthening its immunology pipeline. UK approves J&J's oral psoriasis pill
• Positive Sentiment: J&J reported first real-world data for its VARIPULSE Pro platform and 12-month outcomes for the OMNYPULSE platform in atrial-fibrillation treatment. The results could support adoption of its MedTech portfolio and help offset weakness in other device businesses. J&J reports VARIPULSE Pro and OMNYPULSE data
• Positive Sentiment: J&J has benefited from investor rotation into defensive healthcare and consumer-staples companies amid broader large-cap weakness, reinforcing demand for its relatively stable earnings and dividend profile. Defensive stocks attract buyers
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J’s implied fair value was raised from $270.59 to $279.41 per share, but analyst views remain divided. Supporters cite earnings resilience and the drug pipeline, while others point to valuation, MedTech execution risk and possible dilution from recent deals. J&J fair value adjustment
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed combination involving J&J’s orthopedics business and Smith & Nephew reportedly collapsed over a leadership dispute. The development removes potential strategic benefits and may raise questions about execution, although Smith & Nephew declined to comment. Orthopedics merger reportedly collapsed
• Negative Sentiment: J&J reclaimed its 50-day moving average, but falling earnings estimates, a premium valuation and weakness in MedTech are limiting the bullish technical signal. Erste Group also downgraded the shares to “Hold,” adding to near-term investor caution. J&J stock outlook and valuation concerns

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $264.13 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $265.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $250.21. The stock has a market cap of $635.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $184.66 and a 12 month high of $281.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 16.20% and a return on equity of 31.64%. The company had revenue of $25.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. Johnson & Johnson's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on JNJ shares. Freedom Capital raised Johnson & Johnson from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $275.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. UBS Group set a $270.00 target price on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $298.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. The trade was a 7.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 33,597 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.74, for a total value of $9,230,439.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares in the company, valued at $6,991,308.78. This trade represents a 56.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 64,515 shares of company stock valued at $17,271,766. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson NYSE: JNJ is a global healthcare company headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Founded in 1886, the company develops and markets products and services for patients, healthcare professionals and institutions worldwide.

Johnson & Johnson operates through two principal segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Innovative Medicine focuses on pharmaceuticals for areas such as immunology, oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and cardiovascular conditions.

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