Hennessy Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Hennessy Advisors trimmed its position in Johnson & Johnson by 8.2% in Q4, selling 6,600 shares and leaving it with 74,050 shares valued at about $15.33 million.
• J&J beat Q1 expectations with $2.70 EPS (vs. $2.68 est.) and $24.06 billion revenue (up 9.9% year‑over‑year), set FY2026 EPS guidance of $11.45–$11.65, and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.34 ($5.36 annual, ~2.3% yield).
• Insiders have sold roughly 30,142 shares (~$7.36 million) in the past three months, while analysts have raised price targets and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" (average target ~$252.48); institutional ownership stands at ~69.6%.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 74,050 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,600 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $15,325,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vista Investment Partners II LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 3,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $789,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,990 shares of the company's stock valued at $619,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 2,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,322,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,455,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term Phase 3 and open‑label extension data for IMAAVY (nipocalimab) showed sustained disease control and safety through ~120 weeks in generalized myasthenia gravis; J&J also started the first industry head‑to‑head FcRn study — these clinical wins strengthen JNJ’s immunology franchise and future revenue potential. IMAAVY press release
• Positive Sentiment: New AI and EP (electrophysiology) product updates — including the CARTOSOUND SONATA AI module and expanded VARIPULSE data — add visible growth optionality in cardiac devices and services, helping justify premium valuation for the MedTech segment. AI Cardiac Tools article
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic commercial collaboration with Viz.ai to deploy AI subdural hemorrhage detection across U.S. hospitals broadens J&J’s neurovascular offering and supports recurring software/solution revenue opportunities. Viz.ai collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: CE Mark approval for the new ETHICON 4000 surgical stapler is a commercial milestone that supports device sales growth in Europe and enhances the surgical portfolio’s near‑term revenue trajectory. ETHICON 4000 CE Mark
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and sentiment catalysts: Seeking Alpha notes JNJ snapped a six‑session losing streak, and high‑profile endorsements / analyst attention (including Jim Cramer buys and a Guggenheim mention) are drawing retail and institutional interest. Seeking Alpha: snap losses Jim Cramer mention Guggenheim analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight JNJ as a defensive/dividend and counter‑cyclical pick, which can attract income‑oriented buyers but is a longer‑term narrative rather than an immediate catalyst. Dividend stocks article Counter cyclical article

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $230.67 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $240.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $218.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $555.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. Johnson & Johnson has a fifty-two week low of $146.12 and a fifty-two week high of $251.71.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.75% and a net margin of 21.83%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. The trade was a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JNJ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $244.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $252.48.

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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