Johnson & Johnson $JNJ Stock Position Cut by Persistent Asset Partners Ltd

Key Points

• Persistent Asset Partners cut its Johnson & Johnson stake by 58.8% in the second quarter, selling 7,988 shares and retaining 5,605 shares valued at approximately $1.42 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds still own 69.55% of J&J.
• J&J reported quarterly EPS of $2.90 and revenue of $25.31 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue increased 6.6% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $11.60–$11.75 and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.34.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $268.22. Recent product developments, including approvals for Icotyde and expanded Imaavy use, are viewed as potential growth drivers, though insiders have sold roughly $16.25 million of shares over the past three months.

Persistent Asset Partners Ltd decreased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 58.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,605 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,988 shares during the period. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $1,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 133,869,843 shares of the company's stock worth $27,704,364,000 after buying an additional 1,663,782 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 22,225.6% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 69,419,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,436,633,000 after buying an additional 69,108,368 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 57,953,747 shares of the company's stock worth $11,967,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,738,292 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter worth about $6,924,523,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Johnson & Johnson by 3.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 25,832,777 shares of the company's stock worth $4,789,914,000 after acquiring an additional 956,239 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 23,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.27, for a total value of $5,792,778.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,779,963.81. The trade was a 50.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.36, for a total transaction of $3,950,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 194,451 shares in the company, valued at $51,210,615.36. This represents a 7.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 63,972 shares of company stock worth $16,245,605. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: China approved J&J’s oral psoriasis pill, Icotyde, expanding the company’s immunology portfolio and giving it a simpler treatment option to compete with rival products from Bristol Myers Squibb and AbbVie. The pill could also broaden J&J’s presence in China, although it may compete with the company’s established injectable Tremfya franchise. China approves J&J's oral psoriasis pill
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA expanded approval of Imaavy for warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia in patients 12 and older who are receiving or have previously received steroids. As the first approved treatment for this rare, potentially life-threatening disorder, Imaavy addresses an unmet need and could support J&J’s rare-disease growth strategy. Imaavy expands into rare blood disorder
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analysis points to a favorable shift in J&J’s product mix, with newer products increasingly offsetting pressure from the STELARA patent loss. This supports the view that growth in the broader Innovative Medicine portfolio may be more important than the shrinking contribution from STELARA. Did a product swap fuel JNJ stock's surge?
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view JNJ as a defensive dividend holding, supported by its balance sheet, diversified healthcare operations and ability to generate dependable returns through economic cycles. Johnson & Johnson is a top dividend stock

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on JNJ shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $285.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Leerink Partners upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $284.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $268.22.

Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE JNJ opened at $268.30 on Friday. Johnson & Johnson has a 1-year low of $173.33 and a 1-year high of $276.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $646.58 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $258.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.94.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.06. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.42% and a net margin of 21.48%.The firm had revenue of $25.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $25.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.600-11.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 62.11%.

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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