Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Johnson & Johnson $JNJ

Key Points

• Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. cut its Johnson & Johnson stake by 91.3% in Q4, selling 23,601 shares and leaving 2,248 shares worth $465,000, according to its 13F filing.
• Company insiders sold a total of 30,142 shares (~$7.36M) last quarter — including EVP Vanessa Broadhurst and EVP Timothy Schmid — leaving insiders with just 0.16% ownership.
• Positive company developments include a roughly $950M punitive talc award being overturned, Phase 1 erdafitinib data showing ~89% response in non‑muscle‑invasive bladder cancer, and FDA approval of the TECNIS PureSee IOL, reducing legal uncertainty and bolstering pipeline/medtech upside.

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. cut its position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Free Report) by 91.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,248 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,601 shares during the quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.'s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 7,392 shares of the company's stock worth $1,371,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.6% in the third quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,689,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Pinnacle Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC now owns 11,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,079,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd increased its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd now owns 7,249 shares of the company's stock worth $1,344,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Boltwood Capital Management lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 4,263 shares of the company's stock worth $882,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.55% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Punitive damages of about $950 million in a talc-related case were overturned, materially reducing near‑term litigation exposure and uncertainty for JNJ. Punitive Damages Award Overturned
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 1 results for an extended‑release erdafitinib delivery system in non‑muscle‑invasive bladder cancer showed very high response rates (reportedly ~89%), supporting upside to the Innovative Medicines pipeline if later‑stage data confirm benefits. Bladder Cancer Trial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Medtech momentum: JNJ reported FDA approval for the TECNIS PureSee intraocular lens and highlighted procedure‑area advances that could add recurring, higher‑margin revenue in ophthalmology and procedures. Procedure & Vision Advances
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and analyst sentiment remains constructive: JNJ has traded above its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages for months and brokers/media pieces are highlighting it as a defensive, innovation‑led buy, supporting demand from yield‑and‑quality oriented investors. Technical/Broker Commentary
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships/pipeline expansion: a collaboration (Protagonist) was highlighted as part of JNJ’s effort to compete in immunology, which could bolster longer‑term growth prospects. Protagonist Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Market narratives and strategy pieces continue to cast JNJ as a defensive, dividend‑king stock with innovation upside — useful framing for long‑term investors but less directly catalytic than clinical or legal events.
• Negative Sentiment: Residual talc litigation remains: a $16 million talc verdict was upheld in a recent case, and media mentions of JNJ as “overvalued” could pressure sentiment if litigation headlines resume. Talc Verdict Stands

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related 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 value of $1,508,287.83. Following the completion of 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 22,623 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.33, for a total transaction of $5,527,477.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,769 shares in the company, valued at $6,540,469.77. This represents a 45.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,142 shares of company stock worth $7,360,528. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $239.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $577.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.34. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $236.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.82. Johnson & Johnson has a twelve month low of $141.50 and a twelve 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 0.48.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.28 billion during the quarter. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 28.46% and a return on equity of 33.04%. Equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 24th. Johnson & Johnson's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $208.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Freedom Capital cut Johnson & Johnson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Johnson & Johnson from $217.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Johnson & Johnson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $220.00 price target on Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.91.

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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