Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Stock Position Cut by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott LLC trimmed its Johnson & Johnson position by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 1.29 million shares worth about $267.1 million.
• Analysts remain upbeat on JNJ, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus Moderate Buy rating and $253.04 target price.
• Johnson & Johnson reported better-than-expected Q1 results, increased its quarterly dividend to $1.34, and continues to draw support from optimism around its drug pipeline, even as a $32 million asbestos-related talc verdict highlights ongoing legal risk.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC trimmed its holdings in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,290,590 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,442 shares during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson accounts for about 0.6% of Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned 0.05% of Johnson & Johnson worth $267,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Greenberg Financial Group purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter valued at about $954,000. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 8.9% during the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 378,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,136,000 after buying an additional 30,900 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.3% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,030,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $932,835,000 after buying an additional 208,765 shares in the last quarter. JT Stratford LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 7.6% during the third quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 59,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,047,000 after buying an additional 4,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 161,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,390,000 after buying an additional 26,450 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson is drawing bullish attention from commentators and market personalities, with Jim Cramer highlighting its “great new drug profits” and strong balance sheet, which reinforces the company’s defensive appeal and dividend reputation. Jim Cramer Applauds Johnson & Johnson’s “Great New Drug Profits, Triple-A Balance Sheet”
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ continues to strengthen its oncology pipeline after agreeing to buy Firefly Bio for $1 billion, a move aimed at expanding its KRAS-focused cancer treatment platform and supporting long-term growth. Johnson And Johnson Buys Firefly Bio To Deepen Oncology Growth Story
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s CEO said a cure for certain cancers is a realistic goal, which underscores management’s confidence in J&J’s pipeline and may help investor sentiment around future drug innovation. Johnson & Johnson CEO Says Cure for Certain Cancers Is Realistic Goal
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson was also highlighted in articles calling it a durable “healthcare king” and a stock investors would buy again in a reset portfolio, reinforcing the view that it remains a high-quality defensive name. Got $1,000? 1 Healthcare King to Buy and Never Sell That Is Safer Than a Treasury Bond
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J also received a financing-related mention because its venture arm participated in a FesariusTherapeutics Series A round, a modest signal of ongoing innovation exposure but not a direct earnings driver. FesariusTherapeutics Closes Oversubscribed $20M Series A, Led by Jefferson Life Sciences, and Backed by NY Ventures, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting the optimism, a Los Angeles jury awarded $32 million in an asbestos-related talc case, renewing legal risk concerns that have long weighed on J&J shares. Johnson & Johnson Hit with $32 Million Verdict in Los Angeles Asbestos Trial

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.04.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

NYSE JNJ opened at $238.88 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $226.87. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $575.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.26. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $149.04 and a 52-week high of $251.71.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm's revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is currently 61.97%.

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.

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