Merit Financial Group LLC Has $53.25 Million Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group reduced its Johnson & Johnson position by 1.8% in the second quarter, but still held 209,661 shares valued at approximately $53.25 million. Institutional investors collectively own 69.55% of JNJ.
• Johnson & Johnson exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted earnings of $2.90 per share and revenue of $25.31 billion, while revenue increased 6.6% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $11.60–$11.75.
• JNJ declared a quarterly dividend of $1.34 per share, representing a 2.0% yield and a $5.36 annualized payout. Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $268.22 target price.

Merit Financial Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 209,661 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,863 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $53,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 161,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,390,000 after acquiring an additional 26,450 shares during the last quarter. Benchmark Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Johnson & Johnson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $554,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,410,177 shares of the company's stock worth $705,736,000 after purchasing an additional 28,370 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,296,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $475,330,000 after purchasing an additional 410,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SageGuard Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the fourth quarter worth $1,019,000. Institutional investors own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE JNJ opened at $262.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $632.72 billion, a PE ratio of 30.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.24. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $251.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.06. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $172.72 and a 12-month high of $274.90.

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

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

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

Johnson & Johnson News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson raised its quarterly dividend by 3.1%, bringing the annual payout to $5.36 per share and extending its dividend-growth streak to 64 consecutive years. The increase reinforces JNJ’s appeal to income-focused and defensive investors. Johnson & Johnson Has Increased Its Dividend for 64 Consecutive Years
• Positive Sentiment: JNJ is advancing seltorexant into late-stage development for major depressive disorder, potentially adding a new growth product to its pharmaceutical pipeline. The company also signed a multiyear partnership with ACCESS to expand adoption of cardiac electrophysiology technology in ambulatory surgery centers, supporting growth in higher-value medtech markets. Johnson & Johnson Advances Seltorexant and Expands Outpatient Cardiac Care
• Positive Sentiment: Johnson & Johnson’s sale of rights to botaretigene sparoparvovec to MeiraGTx for $25 million indicates continued portfolio streamlining and could allow JNJ to focus capital and resources on its most promising medicines and technologies. MeiraGTx Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial and Operational Results
• Neutral Sentiment: JNJ is attracting attention as investors favor defensive blue-chip healthcare companies while awaiting inflation data. Its low-beta profile and strong dividend history may support demand, though broader interest-rate and macroeconomic expectations remain important for valuation. Johnson & Johnson In Focus as Defensive Blue Chips Draw Attention
• Negative Sentiment: After a strong run, JNJ is trading near its annual high with a relatively demanding earnings multiple. Analysts note that much of the company’s quality and defensive appeal may already be reflected in the share price, raising the risk of limited upside or profit-taking. JNJ Keeps Climbing. Should You Climb On?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC set a $290.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $282.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Johnson & Johnson from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $284.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Elizabeth Forminard sold 15,918 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total transaction of $4,090,926.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,994 shares in the company, valued at $4,367,458. The trade was a 48.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn E. Wengel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.15, for a total value of $2,411,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,288 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,551.20. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 48,972 shares of company stock worth $12,295,205 over the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Company 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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