Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Sold by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise reduced its Johnson & Johnson stake by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,505 shares and leaving it with 56,785 shares worth about $11.75 million.
• Several analysts turned more bullish on J&J, with Leerink upgrading the stock to Outperform and raising its price target amid strong drug momentum and improving fundamentals. Overall, analysts now rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $253.04.
• Johnson & Johnson reported solid quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share, signaling ongoing confidence in cash generation.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise cut its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 20.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,785 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,505 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $11,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNJ. Hardy Reed LLC grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 12,628 shares of the company's stock worth $2,613,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 4,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Drystone LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Drystone LLC now owns 22,113 shares of the company's stock worth $4,576,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $17,446,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd boosted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd now owns 1,637 shares of the company's stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson launched its next-generation Shockwave C2 Aero Coronary IVL catheter, a new cardiovascular product that could support future sales growth in the medtech segment. Johnson And Johnson Catheter Launch Adds New Angle To JNJ Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Leerink upgraded Johnson & Johnson to Outperform and raised their price target, citing strong new drug momentum and improving fundamentals. Is Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) One of the Best “Dogs of the Dow” Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted J&J’s expanding pipeline, new drug approvals, and rising cancer-medicine sales, reinforcing the company’s long-term growth story. J&J's Pipeline Progress & New Drugs Promise Stronger Long-Term Growth
• Positive Sentiment: J&J was also highlighted in dividend-stock and “Dogs of the Dow” pieces, which can attract income-focused buyers looking for stability and yield. These 3 Dividend Stocks Are as Close to a Sure Thing as Investing Gets

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Leerink Partners raised Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.04.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $229.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $553.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $149.04 and a 52-week high of $251.71. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $234.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.62. 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 (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its 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 company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total transaction of $324,762.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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.