Madison Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management cut its Johnson & Johnson stake by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 46,286 shares and leaving it with 157,184 shares worth about $32.5 million.
• Johnson & Johnson reported better-than-expected Q1 results, posting EPS of $2.70 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $24.06 billion versus $23.60 billion expected, while also raising its full-year guidance to 11.45–11.65 EPS.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share, up from $1.30, for an annualized yield of about 2.3%; analysts also remain broadly positive, with several raising price targets and Leerink upgrading the stock to Outperform.

Madison Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 157,184 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,286 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $32,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the third quarter worth $26,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Johnson & Johnson stock opened at $230.43 on Thursday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $146.12 and a 52 week high of $251.71. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $554.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.27.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The business had revenue of $24.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. The firm'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. On average, research analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.12%.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson from “Market Perform” to “Outperform” and lifted its price target to $265 from $252, citing accelerating growth prospects from new drug launches and stronger oncology and immunology franchises. Johnson & Johnson upgraded at Leerink on growth prospects
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted J&J’s pipeline momentum, including Tremfya and newly approved Icotyde as key drivers for immunology growth as Stelara faces biosimilar pressure, reinforcing the company’s post-Stelara strategy. Tremfya, Icotyde Lead J&J's Post-Stelara Immunology Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: J&J also announced the global launch of the Shockwave C2 Aero Coronary IVL Catheter, adding another product launch that supports its cardiovascular growth story. Johnson & Johnson Advances the Standard of Calcium Modification with Global Launch of Shockwave™ C2 Aero Coronary IVL Catheter
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J remains in focus as a defensive, high-quality name with one of the market’s strongest credit ratings, which may keep income-focused investors interested but is less likely to be a near-term catalyst. The 2 US Companies With a Better Credit Rating Than Uncle Sam Belong in Every Retirement Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also got attention in articles emphasizing its safety, dividend appeal, and retirement-portfolio status, which supports the stock’s defensive reputation rather than signaling a major fundamental change. Russell 1000 Dividend ETF Hits 125 as Johnson & Johnson Leads The Safety Test

Insider Activity

In other Johnson & Johnson news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total transaction of $324,762.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,251,310.02. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on JNJ shares. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $237.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $234.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $225.00 to $251.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Leerink Partners upgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.04.

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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