Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Sold by Conning Inc.

Key Points

• Conning Inc. reduced its Johnson & Johnson stake by 8.5% in the first quarter, selling 13,144 shares and leaving it with 141,649 shares worth about $34.6 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly constructive on J&J: Bank of America lifted its price target to $263, and other analysts recently reiterated or upgraded ratings, with the stock carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy.”
• J&J continues to show mixed signals with solid fundamentals and a higher dividend, but investors are still watching legal risk after an Illinois court upheld a $45 million mesothelioma verdict tied to talc allegations.

Conning Inc. trimmed its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 8.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 141,649 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,144 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $34,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock worth $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares during the period. United Bank raised its position in 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 lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company's stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company's stock worth $11,255,000 after purchasing an additional 6,584 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson to $263 from $254, signaling continued support for the stock even as the firm kept a neutral rating. Benzinga report on the price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson backed a new heart failure device trial, keeping investor focus on its medtech pipeline and longer-term growth opportunities in electrophysiology and cardiovascular care. JNJ Backs New Heart Failure Device Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to highlight JNJ as a strong dividend and defensive healthcare name, with several notes pointing to the company’s earnings consistency and attractive income profile. TipRanks dividend aristocrat article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also looking ahead to J&J’s upcoming Q2 earnings report, with previews suggesting the company may again beat expectations, but the market is still waiting for actual results. Zacks Q2 earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: An Illinois appellate court affirmed a $45 million mesothelioma verdict against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue tied to talc-related asbestos allegations, renewing legal risk concerns that can weigh on the shares. Illinois Appellate Court Affirms $45 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $257.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $619.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $237.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.23. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $154.80 and a 1-year high of $269.43.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.58 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 61.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total transaction of $2,411,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,560,551.20. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on JNJ shares. HSBC set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note 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 objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Johnson Rice set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.13.

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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