Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 6.6% in the first quarter, buying 49,216 more shares and bringing its total to 798,815 shares valued at about $195.3 million.
• Other institutional investors also made changes to JNJ holdings, and hedge funds/institutional investors now own 69.55% of the company’s stock, underscoring continued big-money interest in the name.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: RBC raised its price target to $287 and kept an outperform rating, while the overall consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $261.26.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 798,815 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 49,216 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 1.0% of Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $195,262,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Greenberg Financial Group acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $954,000. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 161,343 shares of the company's stock worth $33,390,000 after acquiring an additional 26,450 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 95,662 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,738,000 after purchasing an additional 8,533 shares during the last quarter. Benchmark Financial LLC acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $554,000. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to $287 from $265 and kept an outperform rating, implying additional upside as investors look ahead to earnings. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Several market watchers highlighted JNJ as a potential buy before earnings, pointing to its strong year-to-date move, recent all-time highs, and the appeal of its dividend as capital rotates into healthcare names. The Real Case for Buying Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Before July 15
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and stock commentary remain focused on JNJ’s upcoming quarterly results, with expectations centered on continued operational strength despite patent and competitive headwinds. Zacks: Is JNJ Stock a Buy, Sell or Hold Ahead of Q2 Earnings Release?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market weakness weighed on Wall Street Monday, which could limit gains even for defensive names like JNJ. NASDAQ Snaps 3-Day Winning Streak as Oil Jumps Amid US-Iran Tensions
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews from Zacks, TipRanks, and Barron’s kept Johnson & Johnson in focus, but these pieces were mainly commentary ahead of the report rather than new company-specific catalysts. Zacks: Is Johnson & Johnson Stock Poised for New Highs as Q2 Results Approach?

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.3%

JNJ opened at $257.82 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $620.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $154.80 and a twelve month high of $269.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.60.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.77 EPS. Analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson 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 $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.26.

About Johnson & Johnson

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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