Bank of Nova Scotia Buys 124,651 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia increased its Johnson & Johnson stake by 16.4% in the second quarter, adding 124,651 shares for a total holding of 886,454 shares valued at approximately $225.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 69.55% of J&J.
• Johnson & Johnson reported quarterly earnings of $2.90 per share and revenue of $25.31 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue up 6.6% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.34, equivalent to a 1.9% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $272.83, though risks include Stelara and other patent expirations, MedTech weakness, talc litigation, insider selling and the stock’s elevated valuation near its 52-week high.

Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 886,454 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 124,651 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $225,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock worth $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,539,000 after buying an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company's stock valued at $896,000 after buying an additional 692 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company's stock worth $11,255,000 after buying an additional 6,584 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $278.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $671.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.29, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.24. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $173.33 and a 52-week high of $281.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The company's revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is 62.11%.

Key Headlines Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $320 price target, implying roughly 15%–16% upside from recent levels. The target reflects greater confidence in J&J’s pharmaceutical pipeline and potential for stronger growth. J&J Jumps as UBS Lifts Its Target to $320
• Positive Sentiment: Recent business momentum remains constructive: J&J’s latest quarterly revenue increased 6.6% year over year, while earnings and revenue exceeded analyst expectations. A separate analysis noted that new products have more than offset sales lost from older medicines, supporting the company’s growth narrative. Johnson & Johnson Replaced Lost Sales With New Ones
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J will participate in the Deutsche Bank 2026 Healthcare Summit on September 17. The presentation could provide updates on the pipeline, growth strategy and financial outlook, but the announcement itself does not change fundamentals. Johnson & Johnson to Participate in the Deutsche Bank Healthcare Summit
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst lowered the FY2026 EPS forecast, creating a modest headwind against the bullish analyst target and suggesting expectations for near-term earnings growth may be moderating.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag Stelara and upcoming drug patent expirations, weakness in MedTech and ongoing talc litigation as risks. The stock’s approximately 56% 12-month gain and valuation near its 52-week high leave less room for disappointment, particularly because the current price may already anticipate growth above management’s guidance. J&J Faces Multiple Headwinds Does J&J Talc Verdict Add to Legal Risk?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jennifer 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 194,451 shares in the company, valued at $51,210,615.36. The trade was a 7.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,551.20. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 63,972 shares of company stock valued at $16,245,605. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on JNJ. Weiss Ratings raised Johnson & Johnson from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Johnson Rice reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $285.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $254.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.83.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

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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