Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Purchased by ARS Investment Partners LLC

Key Points

• ARS Investment Partners LLC boosted its Johnson & Johnson stake by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, and several other hedge funds also increased their holdings. Institutional investors now own 69.55% of J&J shares.
• Analysts are turning more constructive on the stock: Leerink Partners upgraded J&J to Outperform, while Citigroup and Wells Fargo also raised price targets. The consensus rating remains Moderate Buy with an average target of about $253.04.
• J&J reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $2.70 and revenue of $24.06 billion, and it raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share. The stock was down about 1.7% in Friday trading despite the solid fundamentals.

ARS Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 15.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,979 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,725 shares during the quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $11,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,502,000 after purchasing an additional 6,332 shares during the period. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company's stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 6,584 shares during the period. 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: Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to Outperform, which can help investor sentiment and suggests the firm sees more upside from current levels. Leerink Partners upgrades Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
• Positive Sentiment: A new article says J&J’s story is shifting as newer drugs such as Icotyde, Inlexzo, Tecvayli and Tremfya gain attention, while a valuation update nudged fair value slightly higher. That points to continued pipeline progress as a key long-term driver. How The Story For Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Is Shifting With New Drugs And Legal Twists
• Positive Sentiment: CAPLYTA data highlighted favorable efficacy and safety versus competing antipsychotics, reinforcing the value of J&J’s mental-health franchise and broader pipeline depth. CAPLYTA Data Highlights Johnson & Johnson Valuation And Mental Health Story
• Neutral Sentiment: MeiraGTx reported an asset purchase agreement with Johnson & Johnson for bota-vec, a transaction that appears more strategic than immediately material for earnings, but it shows J&J remains active in bolt-on pipeline deals. MeiraGTx Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial and Operational Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent bladder-cancer survey coverage reinforces the need for better therapies, which supports the market’s broader view that J&J’s oncology and urology pipeline could have room to grow, though the report itself does not change fundamentals immediately. Groundbreaking global survey captures the significant patient burden experienced with current standard-of-care bladder cancer treatments, underscoring urgency for continued innovation
• Negative Sentiment: Articles note Johnson & Johnson has been down since its last earnings report, indicating some investors remain cautious despite the company’s stable fundamentals and defensive profile. Why Is Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Down 3.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on JNJ. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $274.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Loop Capital set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Leerink Partners raised Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Johnson & Johnson from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.04.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total value of $324,762.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,251,310.02. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528 over the last ninety days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Down 1.7%

JNJ stock opened at $226.81 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 12 month low of $149.04 and a 12 month high of $251.71. The firm has a market cap of $545.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

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

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 60.12%.

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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