Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Manning & Napier Advisors cut its Johnson & Johnson stake by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 21,457 shares and ending with 125,883 shares worth about $26.1 million.
• Johnson & Johnson’s latest quarter came in ahead of expectations, with EPS of $2.70 versus $2.68 estimated and revenue of $24.06 billion, up 9.9% year over year. The company also guided FY 2026 EPS to $11.45-$11.65.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.34 per share, implying a 2.4% annual yield, while analysts remained generally constructive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $252.48.

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 125,883 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,457 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $26,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 240,349,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,740,362,000 after buying an additional 3,731,074 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 545.6% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,865,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $716,657,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266,354 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 13,354,936 shares of the company's stock worth $2,512,719,000 after purchasing an additional 2,163,838 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 126.3% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,584,162 shares of the company's stock worth $664,575,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000,609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the third quarter worth $367,467,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Johnson & Johnson

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2027 earnings estimate for Johnson & Johnson to $12.66 per share from $12.63, reinforcing the view that earnings power remains solid and slightly better than expected. Johnson & Johnson analyst estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: J&J’s cancer business continues to be a growth driver, with reports highlighting Darzalex, Erleada, and newer launches helping oncology sales grow strongly in the latest quarter and supporting the company’s long-term target of $50 billion in cancer sales by 2030. Darzalex, Erleada & New Drugs Keep J&J's Oncology Engine Charged in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles also pointed to Johnson & Johnson as a favored dividend compounder, which can appeal to income investors looking for stability and long-term payouts. This Dividend Pro Likes Banks, Semi-Equipment Stocks, Altria, and J&J
• Neutral Sentiment: J&J also launched its “Generation Fine” mental health campaign, which is more of a brand and awareness initiative than a direct earnings catalyst, though it underscores continued investment in neuropsychiatry. Johnson & Johnson launches Generation Fine
• Neutral Sentiment: At the same time, recent pipeline commentary was mixed: J&J reported positive progress in some programs, but one mid-stage inflammatory bowel disease candidate did not meet its main endpoint, creating some offsetting uncertainty. Johnson And Johnson Balances Mental Health Push With Mixed Pipeline Outlook

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. Leerink Partners upped their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $232.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Loop Capital set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital cut shares of Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $252.48.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

JNJ stock opened at $221.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $237.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.58. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $146.12 and a 12-month high of $251.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap of $532.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.27.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 21.83%.The company had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.60 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.77 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Johnson & Johnson has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.450-11.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change 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%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 1,322 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.66, for a total value of $324,762.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,251,310.02. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total value of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares in the company, valued at $5,598,700.17. This trade represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,142 shares of company stock valued at $7,360,528. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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