Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Acquired by Ascentis Independent Advisors

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors boosted its Johnson & Johnson stake by 57.7% in Q1, adding 13,224 shares to bring its total to 36,150 shares valued at about $8.84 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive: analysts have issued a Moderate Buy consensus with a $257.74 average price target, while several firms recently raised their targets on JNJ.
• Johnson & Johnson reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, raised its annual dividend to $1.34 per share quarterly, and gave FY2026 EPS guidance of 11.45 to 11.65, underscoring continued financial strength.

Ascentis Independent Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 57.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,150 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,224 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.7% of Ascentis Independent Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Ascentis Independent Advisors' holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $8,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sierra Capital LLC boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sierra Capital LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the company's stock worth $1,685,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,422 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Broadleaf Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Broadleaf Partners LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,521,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,567,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Plancorp LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,288,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on JNJ. Bank of America lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $285.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $283.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.74.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson announced FDA approval for its dual-energy THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF platform, a positive catalyst that could support growth in the company’s medtech business and improve investor confidence in its pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The stock had recently been pushing to record highs as analysts raised price targets and investors responded to a higher outlook and pre-earnings optimism, suggesting the long-term setup for JNJ remains constructive. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary this week also highlighted JNJ as a defensive healthcare name with steady cash flow, while other pieces focused on valuation, earnings expectations, and healthcare sector comparisons rather than new company-specific setbacks. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive product news, some trading-focused coverage noted unusual put option activity after the recent run-up, indicating that a portion of the market is positioning for a possible pullback. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market recap also described JNJ as declining more than the broader market, reinforcing the idea that the stock is pausing after a strong advance rather than reacting to a major fundamental problem. Article Title

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $263.52 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $154.80 and a twelve month high of $269.43. The stock has a market cap of $634.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $235.85 and a 200 day moving average of $232.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.77 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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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