Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 8,353 Shares of Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 4.5%, purchasing 8,353 shares to hold 194,854 shares valued at about $40.33 million.
• J&J beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $2.70 vs. $2.68 and revenue of $24.06 billion (up 9.9%), and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 11.45–11.65 (analyst average ~11.57).
• Dividend raised to $1.34 quarterly (annualized $5.36, yield 2.4%), while insiders sold roughly 30,142 shares (~$7.36M) over the past three months, a factor that may pressure near‑term sentiment.

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,854 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,353 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $40,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in JNJ. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 51,876 shares of the company's stock worth $7,502,000 after acquiring an additional 6,332 shares during the period. United Bank lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 110.7% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,279 shares of the company's stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 4,876 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 13.4% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,863 shares of the company's stock worth $896,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 12.8% in the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 1,482 shares of the company's stock worth $226,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 9.8% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 73,680 shares of the company's stock worth $11,255,000 after acquiring an additional 6,584 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $226.21 on Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson has a 52-week low of $146.12 and a 52-week high of $251.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.03. The business's 50 day moving average price is $241.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $218.04. The firm has a market cap of $544.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.34.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $0.02. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 32.75% and a net margin of 21.83%.The firm had revenue of $24.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. The company's 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Johnson & Johnson's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. Johnson & Johnson's payout ratio is presently 61.97%.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, EVP Vanessa Broadhurst sold 6,197 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.39, for a total transaction of $1,508,287.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,598,700.17. This represents a 21.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total value of $5,527,477.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at $6,540,469.77. The trade was a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat-and-raise: J&J posted stronger-than-expected revenue and EPS, raised full‑year revenue expectations and reiterated solid growth in Innovative Medicines — supports longer‑term earnings visibility. How to Play J&J Stock Post a Beat-and-Raise Performance in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Guggenheim raised its price target to $266 and kept a Buy rating after Q1 — an incremental catalyst for upside. Guggenheim Adjusts Price Target on Johnson & Johnson
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend support: J&J was highlighted among large dividend payers and recently raised its payout — keeps appeal for income investors. 3 Giant Dividend Stocks Raising Payouts
• Positive Sentiment: MedTech product news: J&J debuted CARTOSOUND SONATA and highlighted CARTO innovations at HRS 2026 — supports MedTech growth narrative. CARTO-Powered Innovation Including Debut of CARTOSOUND SONATA
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: Management will host a fireside chat at the RBC Healthcare Conference (May 19) — useful for updates but not an immediate earnings event. Johnson & Johnson to Participate in the 2026 RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate mentions: J&J appears as a reference customer in tech product coverage (Mindtickle) and in lists by prominent investors — supportive background but low direct impact. Mindtickle Launches ElevateOS
• Negative Sentiment: Stelara LOE and patent erosion remain a structural headwind cited in post‑earnings commentary; management is citing offsets but market sensitivity to LOE keeps upside capped. How to Play J&J Stock Post a Beat-and-Raise Performance in Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and profit‑taking: Social/filing summaries show significant insider share sales and chatter about pre‑market weakness — can pressure sentiment near term. JNJ Opinions on Q1 Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/short‑term setup: price is trading below the 50‑day moving average (resistance) with above‑average volume today — typical conditions for short‑term pullbacks even after good results.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on JNJ. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $232.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $252.48.

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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