Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Purchased by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 54.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 232,942 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 81,851 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises 2.0% of Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $56,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Capital LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Sierra Capital LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,685,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 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% during the fourth quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,574 shares of the company's stock worth $1,567,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company's stock worth $3,288,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total value of $5,792,778.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,779,963.81. The trade was a 50.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expansion into next-generation oncology. J&J completed its $1 billion cash acquisition of Firefly Bio, gaining the Firelink™ degrader antibody conjugate platform. The technology is intended to support targeted treatments for difficult solid tumors, including KRAS-driven cancers, and strengthens the company’s long-term oncology pipeline. Firefly Bio acquisition article
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic collaboration adds autoimmune-disease potential. J&J agreed to work with Sail Biomedicines on in vivo CAR-T therapies designed to reset the immune system and treat immune-mediated diseases. The agreement includes $785 million in initial payments and an exclusive option to acquire Sail for $2.58 billion, giving J&J access to a potentially transformative platform. Wall Street Journal Sail collaboration article
• Positive Sentiment: Operating momentum remains solid. J&J’s latest quarterly results exceeded analyst expectations, with revenue up 6.6% year over year to $25.31 billion and earnings per share of $2.90 versus a $2.84 consensus estimate. Analysts also raised some longer-term earnings forecasts, suggesting confidence in the underlying business. Johnson & Johnson earnings information
• Neutral Sentiment: Talc settlement may reduce legal uncertainty. J&J’s proposed payment of up to $5.5 billion would address roughly 76,000 ovarian-cancer claims, potentially removing a major litigation overhang. However, the agreement requires at least 95% claimant participation and does not eliminate all future litigation risk. Reuters talc litigation article
• Negative Sentiment: 2026 profit forecast was lowered. J&J cited the combined financial impact of the Firefly acquisition and Sail agreement when reducing its 2026 profit forecast. The lower near-term earnings outlook appears to be the most direct reason for investor caution today, despite the deals’ potential long-term strategic value. Reuters profit forecast article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on JNJ. Argus set a $300.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $263.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Johnson Rice raised Johnson & Johnson from an "outperform" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $266.39.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of JNJ stock opened at $265.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $640.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.79, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.24. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $164.23 and a 52-week high of $274.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.82.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.06 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The company's revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 62.11%.

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.

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