Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Position Boosted by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Johnson & Johnson position by 54.2% in the third quarter, adding 1.05 million shares to own nearly 3 million shares valued at approximately $791.8 million.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutional investors owning 69.55% of JNJ; several major firms, including Wellington Management and Corient Private Wealth, also increased their holdings.
• Johnson & Johnson exceeded third-quarter EPS and revenue expectations and raised its 2026 sales outlook, though MedTech weakness, valuation concerns and recent insider selling remain key risks. The stock carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $274.87 price target.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 54.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,990,726 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,051,362 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for 0.6% of Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.12% of Johnson & Johnson worth $791,765,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JNJ. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position 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 last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 2nd quarter worth $1,967,399,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased 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 worth $109,338,000 after buying an additional 4,454,778 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 127.3% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 6,060,922 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,539,292,000 after buying an additional 3,393,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 22,588,696 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,736,851,000 after buying an additional 2,513,321 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is 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: Raised 2026 outlook: Third-quarter operational sales grew 6%, reaching $25.4 billion, and management increased full-year operational sales guidance to approximately $100.7 billion at the midpoint. Adjusted EPS also exceeded analysts’ expectations. Johnson & Johnson: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Pharmaceutical momentum and pipeline potential: Strong demand for TREMFYA, early momentum for ICOTYDE and oncology investments helped offset weakness elsewhere. Investors are also watching J&J’s newly approved surgical robot as a potential long-term MedTech growth driver. Does Raised 2026 Outlook Change the Bull Case for Johnson & Johnson?
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive appeal and income support: Investors rotating away from technology stocks amid inflation and interest-rate concerns are favoring dividend-paying healthcare companies. J&J also affirmed its $1.34-per-share fourth-quarter dividend, payable in December 2026. Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating with a $292 price target.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional demand: ETFs recorded approximately $107.4 million of net buying in JNJ, suggesting some portfolio managers continue to view the company as a defensive holding. However, this flow is not necessarily evidence of a change in operating fundamentals. Johnson & Johnson Sees $107.4 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Negative Sentiment: MedTech weakness remains the main overhang: Medical-device sales missed Wall Street forecasts, while international pricing pressure and acquisition-related costs weighed on results. Analysts described the quarter as setting a negative tone for the broader pharmaceutical sector. Johnson & Johnson Stock Falls on MedTech Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst caution: JNJ trades at a premium earnings multiple, increasing the risk of further pressure if growth disappoints. Erste Group expressed a negative view on fiscal 2027 earnings, while RBC lowered its price expectations.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. Stifel Nicolaus set a $260.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $270.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $282.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $274.87.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $255.54 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $184.66 and a twelve month high of $281.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $249.61. The firm has a market cap of $615.82 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 16.20% and a return on equity of 31.54%. The business had revenue of $25.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.050-11.150 EPS. Analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is 81.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total value of $4,090,926.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,367,458. This trade represents a 48.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 194,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,210,615.36. The trade was a 7.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 87,569 shares of company stock worth $23,064,544 over the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson NYSE: JNJ is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets products through two primary business segments: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Its operations serve patients, healthcare professionals and consumers in markets around the world.

The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on prescription medicines in areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, infectious diseases, and pulmonary hypertension.

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