Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Stock Holdings Lessened by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc reduced its Johnson & Johnson stake by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 705,477 shares and leaving it with 18.7 million shares valued at about $3.88 billion.
• Johnson & Johnson continues to show solid operational performance, beating quarterly EPS and revenue expectations and raising its full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $11.45-$11.65.
• The company boosted its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share from $1.30, underscoring its appeal as a defensive income stock even as analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus.

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,744,587 shares of the company's stock after selling 705,477 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson makes up about 0.9% of Legal & General Group Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.78% of Johnson & Johnson worth $3,879,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 104.2% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Family CFO Inc bought a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 149 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

More Johnson & Johnson News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson received favorable coverage for its diversified pharma and MedTech businesses, with analysts saying its pipeline progress and stronger 2026 outlook make it better positioned than Pfizer despite patent risks. J&J & Pfizer Face Patent Risks: Which Stock Looks Better Positioned?
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced China approval for nipocalimab, a regulatory win that expands the drug’s commercial potential and supports sentiment around J&J’s pipeline. Johnson & Johnson says nipocalimab approved in China
• Positive Sentiment: J&J also highlighted a next-generation coronary artery disease catheter, reinforcing growth prospects in its MedTech segment and ongoing innovation in interventional medicine. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Unveils Next-Gen Catheter for Coronary Artery Disease
• Positive Sentiment: J&J announced a collaboration to build a global intelligent operating room network with Abu Dhabi’s health department, adding another AI-driven MedTech initiative that could strengthen its long-term growth story. Johnson & Johnson Advances Creation of Global Intelligent OR Network
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J was included in broader dividend and blue-chip stock commentary, which may reinforce its reputation as a defensive income stock but does not appear to be a major direct driver. The Dividend Stocks That Can Replace a $65,000 Income and What They’ll Cost You
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article framed J&J as a defensive growth stock, supporting the bull case but offering little new fundamental information. Why Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Still Fits a Defensive Growth Case
• Negative Sentiment: ImmunityBio said its ANKTIVA-based bladder cancer data shows a cost advantage versus J&J’s TAR-200, which could raise competitive pressure in an important oncology area. IBRX Says ANKTIVA Delivers Up To $314K Cost Advantage Over J&J’s TAR-200

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE JNJ opened at $234.67 on Monday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $234.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $223.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $149.04 and a twelve month high of $251.71. The stock has a market cap of $564.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 2.29 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 EPS. Johnson & Johnson's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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