Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its Johnson & Johnson stake by 21.8% in Q4 to 2,296,831 shares (about $475.33M), making J&J its 12th-largest holding and equal to roughly 0.10% of J&J’s outstanding stock.
• Johnson & Johnson beat Q1 estimates with $2.70 EPS and $24.06B revenue (up 9.9% YoY), issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 11.45–11.65, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 (annualized $5.36, ~2.3% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $251.52, alongside multiple recent price‑target upgrades from sell‑side firms.

KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,296,831 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 410,720 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 1.1% of KBC Group NV's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. KBC Group NV owned 0.10% of Johnson & Johnson worth $475,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 25,832,777 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,789,914,000 after purchasing an additional 956,239 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,637,649 shares of the company's stock worth $4,568,313,000 after purchasing an additional 835,146 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 19,450,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,606,431,000 after purchasing an additional 532,790 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.3% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 13,354,936 shares of the company's stock worth $2,512,719,000 after buying an additional 2,163,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 7.3% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 10,137,651 shares of the company's stock worth $1,879,718,000 after buying an additional 690,887 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on JNJ. Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. HSBC increased their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Freedom Capital cut Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $251.52.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $255, citing continued pharma momentum (analyst Matt Miksic noted strong drug performance supporting upside). Barclays Raises J&J Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Argus bumped its price target to $275 and kept a buy rating — a bullish signal that implies double‑digit upside from current levels. Argus Raises PT to $275
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa raised its target and maintains an outperform stance, adding to the cluster of upward revisions from sell‑side shops. Daiwa Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reaffirmed buy ratings, reinforcing institutional confidence in J&J’s medium‑term growth story. Goldman Reaffirms Buy Morgan Stanley Reaffirms Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J completed a transaction selling the bota‑vec asset to MeiraGTx — a portfolio pruning move that reduces R&D load but has limited near‑term earnings impact. MeiraGTx Acquires bota‑vec
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple features highlight J&J’s dividend strength and long dividend streak, keeping income‑oriented investors engaged even as growth narratives evolve. Dividend King Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Roundups in The Globe and Mail note conflicting analyst views across healthcare names, underscoring mixed sell‑side positioning rather than a consensus shift. Analyst Sentiment Roundup
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece lays out a bearish case, warning of valuation and operational risks that could pressure the stock if growth disappoints. Why I See Downside Ahead
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage revisiting J&J’s litigation headlines keeps legal overhang on the tape; this remains a key downside risk investors watch. Reassess After Litigation Headlines

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

JNJ opened at $234.28 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $241.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.47. Johnson & Johnson has a 1 year low of $146.12 and a 1 year high of $251.71. The stock has a market cap of $564.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.34.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.75%. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,540,469.77. This trade represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.