Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its Johnson & Johnson stake by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 23,411 shares. The firm still held nearly 3.95 million shares valued at about $817.2 million, making J&J its 13th-largest position.
• Johnson & Johnson got a wave of positive news from analysts and pipeline updates. Leerink Partners upgraded the stock to Outperform with a $265 target, and encouraging early/Phase 2 oncology data for JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) helped reinforce its cancer-growth story.
• The company continues to look attractive to income investors after raising its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share, up from $1.30. J&J also reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates and lifting FY2026 guidance.

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,948,748 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,411 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson comprises about 0.9% of HighTower Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.16% of Johnson & Johnson worth $817,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JNJ. L.K. Benson & Company P.C. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. L.K. Benson & Company P.C. now owns 1,577 shares of the company's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 16,275 shares of the company's stock worth $3,368,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 105,693 shares of the company's stock worth $21,869,000 after acquiring an additional 16,302 shares during the last quarter. Gambit Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $607,000. Finally, Verde Capital Management grew its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Verde Capital Management now owns 1,256 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson to Outperform from Market Perform and raised its price target to $265, citing strong new-drug momentum and improved growth prospects. Article: Is Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) One of the Best “Dogs of the Dow” Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: J&J’s oncology pipeline received attention after the company presented encouraging early/Phase 2 data for JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) in inoperable lung cancer, reinforcing the company’s cancer-treatment growth story. Article: Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Data Adds Dimension To Oncology Valuation Story
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted Johnson & Johnson as a strong dividend and “Dogs of the Dow” name, which supports the stock’s defensive appeal for income-focused investors. Article: Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Nanobiotix also said J&J presented Part 1 data from the CONVERGE study, adding more visibility to the company’s oncology collaboration, though the market impact appears limited so far. Article: Nanobiotix Reports Promising Phase 2 Data for NBTXR3 in Stage 3 Inoperable Lung Cancer
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the Medicare drug-price negotiation program, leaving intact a policy that could continue to pressure pricing for Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical business. Article: Supreme Court Rejects Drugmakers’ Challenge to Medicare Price Negotiation Program

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.9%

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $228.80 on Tuesday. 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 has a 12 month low of $149.04 and a 12 month high of $251.71. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $234.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.31. The stock has a market cap of $550.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.27.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total transaction of $5,527,477.59. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on JNJ shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.04.

About Johnson & Johnson

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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