Legato Capital Management LLC Sells 9,548 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Legato Capital Management cut its Johnson & Johnson stake by 46.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 9,548 shares and leaving it with 11,173 shares worth about $2.31 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus on JNJ, with 20 Buy ratings and an average price target of $253.04.
• Johnson & Johnson reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and recently raised its dividend to $1.34 per share quarterly, supporting its income-stock appeal.

Legato Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 46.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,173 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,548 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $2,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of JNJ. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company's stock worth $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 956,239 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,637,649 shares of the company's stock worth $4,568,313,000 after buying an additional 835,146 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 19,450,064 shares of the company's stock worth $3,606,431,000 after buying an additional 532,790 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.3% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 13,354,936 shares of the company's stock worth $2,512,719,000 after buying an additional 2,163,838 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $283.00 price objective on Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Bank of America raised 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.04.

Key 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 Stock Performance

NYSE:JNJ opened at $234.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $564.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.27.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The firm's revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.77 earnings per share. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.12%.

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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